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lilBRARY  COMPANY. 


Class  2^ .        B  /j/. 


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^^ 


v,-^ 


<^i:-^) 


7'1-IE 


'TOE  OF   A  TT, 


Avsuth  witTi  a  siu^arly  'bca-iitifiil  comueuaiure  was  kneeling  with  quite 
as  nnicli  of  the  clevclion  oi"  love  as  of  the  Inimility  of  a  luei-ceuaiy  supplicant . 


V'vr,,:,  l!-,-pp,vV  l',,- 


SPAIN    REVISITED. 


BY 


THE  AUTHOR  OF  "A  YEAR  IN   SPAIN.' 


'  Salve  !  tierra  ae  amor,  mil  veces  salve  !" 


IN     TWO     VOLUMES. 

VOL.  I. 


NEW-YORK: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  CLIFF-ST. 

18  36. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  183G, 

By  Harper  &  Brothers, 

lu  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Southern  District  of  New- York. 


'  -r 


DEDICATORY  LETTER. 


TO  LIEUT.  GEORGE  P.  UPSHUR,  U.  S.  N. 

Having  been  mainly  instrumental,  my  dear  Up- 
shur, in  inducing  you,  some  years  ago,  by  what  1 
had  written,  to  make  the  tour  of  Spain,  it  has  oc- 
curred to  me  that,  after  so  indulgently  receiving 
my  previous  work  of  travels  in  that  country,  you 
might  not  be  unwilling  to  accept  the  dedication  of 
these  additional  volumes  on  the  same  subject 
Perhaps,  as  your  memory  is  a  good  one,  you  may 
not  have  forgotten  the  delightful  journey  which  we 
once  made  together,  from  Syracuse  to  iEtna  and 
Catania;  a  journey  rendered  doubly  pleasant  by 
the  agreeable  formation  of  our  party,  and  the  de- 
light which  ever  attends  a  temporary  escape  from 
the  necessary,  yet  somewhat  onerous  thraldom  of 
a  well-regulated  man-of-war.  Pleasant,  however, 
as  was  the  journey,  and  not  less  pleasing  as  is  its 
remembrance,  it  was  the  only  occasion  in  our  long 
association  on  which  we  were  likely  to  disagree. 
While  you  were  halting  and  dismounting  by  the 


IV  DEDICATORY    LETTER. 

roadside,  at  every  stone,  to  study  its  mineralogy, 
or  to  discover  in  it  a  vestige  of  some  ancient  city 
of  which  you  had  read  in  Plutarch  or  in  Strabo, 
I,  knowing  little  of  these  things,  would  be  impa- 
tient at  the  delay,  although,  at  the  next  instant,  I 
might,  in  turn,  be  seen  lingering  behind  the  cara- 
van, to  join  in  idle  gossip  with  peasant  or  mu- 
leteer. 

But  if  our  discrepant  tastes  sometimes  occasion- 
ed us,  when  travelling,  to  worry  and  justle  each 
other,  I  trust  that,  when  we  now  meet  in  the  new 
relation  of  reader  and  scribe,  you  will  consent  to 
bear  with  me  while  I  recount  my  own  story  after 
my  own  fashion.  With  your  enthusiasm  for  every 
thing  Spanish,  the  result  of  much  familiar  observa- 
tion, I  trust  that  the  following  pages  will  be  re- 
ceived by  you  with  indulgent  interest ;  especially 
as  you  must  feel  curious  to  learn  my  adventures 
in  a  country  from  which  a  royal  order  excluded 
me,  and  was,  on  one  occasion,  owing  to  our  iden- 
tity of  rank  in  the  same  service,  so  near  involving 
you  in  trouble  and  detention.* 

In  times  past,  a  dedication,  paid  for  by  a  great  lit- 
erary patron,  furnished  the  author  at  once  with  the 
means  of  parading  his  own  servility,  and  ascribing 

*  See  the  order  at  the  end  of  the  volume. 


V 


DEDICATORY  LETTER.  V 

to  his  idol  virtues  which  had  no  real  existence. 

Though  this  custom  be  condemned  by  the  better 

taste  of  the  age  in  which  we  live,  friendship  may 

yet  claim  the  privilege  of  eulogizing  virtues  which 

really  exist ;  if  so,  I  might  here  draw  the  portrait 

of  a  rare  combination  of  them  ;  I  might  describe  a 

courage,  a  benevolence,  a  love  of  justice  coupled 

with  an  honest  indignation  at  whatever  outrages  it, 

a  devotion  to  others  and  forgetfulness  of  self,  such 

as  are  not  often  found  blended  in  one  character, 

were  I  not  deterred  by  the  consideration  that  when 

I   should   have   completed   my  task,  the  eulogy, 

which  would  seem  feeble  to  those  who  knew  the 

original,  might  be  condemned  as  extravagant  by 

those  who  did  not. 

The  chief  advantage  of  the  slight  reputation 
which  has  fallen  to  my  share,  has  been  its  procu- 
ring me  the  favour  and  acquaintance  of  some  dis- 
tinguished individuals,  whose  names  might  furnish 
a  decoration  to  my  pages,  which  the  world  would, 
perhaps,  more  highly  value ;  but  I  turn  with  far 
greater  delight  to  the  regard  which,  in  the  course 
of  a  long  and  most  familiar  association,  was  conce- 
ded to  me  from  personal  considerations  alone  ;  and 
I  feel  a  pleasure  which  I  cannot  easily  describe,  in 
offering  this  slight,  though  heartfelt  tribute,  to  the 
truest   and   most    cherished    of    my    professional 

1* 


y'l  DEDICATORY   LETTER. 

friendships,  of  which  I  covet  the  continuance  with 
a  warmth  that  absence  has  not  diminished  ;  for  if 
there  be  any  circumstance  which,  more  than  an- 
other, sometimes  imboldens  me  to  indulge  a  feel- 
ing of  self-complacency,  it  is  wlien  I  remember 
that  I  have  a  right  to  subscribe  myself,  with  the 
fullest  assurance  that  the  sentiment  is  reciprocal, 
Your  affectionately  attached  friend, 

THE  AUTHOR. 
New-York,  January  1,  1836.  ■ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  BAYONNE.  • 

Bayonne— DiflSculties  of  entering  Spain— Advice  of  Smuggler— Fer- 
min  Sylveti,  a  Pyrenean  Muleteer — Hotel  of  St.  Stephen— Party 
at  Dinner — Wet  Morning — Fonda  de  Espana — Scene  of  Comfort 
in  a  Kitchen — Conversation  of  Muleteers — Journey  Commenced 
— Outskirts  of  Bayonne — Storm  in  the  Lower  Pyrenees — Arrival 
at  Ustariz, Page  13 

CHAPTERIL 

SOJOURN  IN  USTARIZ. 

Inn  at  Ustariz— Chimney  Comer— Determination  to  Halt— Strife 
beyond  the  Frontiers— Politics  among  Muleteers— Lodgings  in 
Ustariz— Pyrenean  Dinner— Evening  Scene  about  the  Kitchen 
Fire— Daybreak  in  the  Mountains, .27 

CHAPTER   III. 

CROSSING  THE  PYRENEES. 

Departure  from  Ustariz— Traits  of  mulish  Character — Attributes  of 
Galician  Mules— Frontier— Perplexities  on  entering  Spain— Car- 
lists  and  Christinos— Carlist  Band  going  to  attack  Urdax— A  Car- 
list  Commissary— Valley  of  the  Bidasoa— Night  in  Elvetea,      39 

CHAPTER    IV. 

PYRENEES   AND   PAMPLONA. 

Matins  in  Elvetea — Ehzondo — Vale  of  Bastan — Vengeance  on  a 
Mule — Pass  of  Velate — Story  of  Brigands— Descent  from  the 
Mountains — Lanz — Homestead  of  Sylveti — Domestic  Scenes — 
Valley  of  the  Arga—Billaba— Sight  of  Pamplona— Enter  the  For- 
tress,     ' 56 


8  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   V. 

PAMPLONA. 

Jose  Botero — His  Inn — His  wine-skins — Walks  in  Pamplona — Con- 
veyance for  Zaragoza — Cathedral— Promenade  of  the  Taconera — 
Walkers — Saarsfield — Navarre — Kitchen  Scenes — Smoking  Axi- 
oms— Art  of  supping  without  money, Page  81 

.     CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM    PAMPLONA    TO    CAPARROSO. 

The  Carro  and  its  Carretero — Venta  del  Pibjo — Solitary  Journey — 
Breaking  up  of  a  Fair — Encounter  with  Carlists — Evening  in  the 
Villages — The  Chicken's  Inn — Scene  of  former  Murders — Tafalla 
— Peasants  going  afield— Monotony  of  Spanish  Scenery,  .    .    94 

CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM    CAPARROSO    TO    VALTIERRA. 

Caparroso — A  Guerilla  Veteran — Conversation  with  Charioteer — 
Colloquial  Tact  of  Spaniards — PoUtics  of  my  Companions — Influ- 
ence of  Clergy — How  exercised — Political  uses  of  Confessional 
— Valtierra — Company  at  Irm  —  Conversation  there  —  Supper — 
Revelry, 110 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

VALTIERRA  AND  ALAGON. 

The  Ebro—Tudela— Environs— The  Inn— New  Comrade— His  Sto- 
ry— Battle  of  Espileta — Political  Economy  in  Navarre — Mallen 
in  Aragon — New  Kingdom  and  New  PoUtics — Sheep  and  Shep- 
herds—A Woman  from  the  Mountains— Canal  of  Aragon,    .    122 


CHAPTER   IX. 


ALAGON    AND    ZARAGOZA. 


The  Fish  of  Alagon — Alagon — Return  of  Flocks — A  Merry-andrew 
— The  Theatre  in  Alagon— La  Jota  Aragonesa— Alarraing  Inter- 


CONTENTS.  9 

ruption — Military  Lodgers  and  Involuntary  Hospitality — Troopers 
at  the  Inn — Departure  from  Alagon — Zaragoza  and  the  New  Tower 
— Gate  of  the  Ebro — Epistle  of  an  Hostler,     ....    Page  136 

CHAPTER   X. 

t 

ZARAGOZA. 

Siege  of  Zaragoza — Great  Square — Poor  Students — New  Town — 
Post-House — Mesa  Redonda — Church  of  the  Pillar — High  Mass 
— Hog  Lottery — Torre  Nueva — View  from  the  Tower — Masquer- 
ade— The  Maskers — Evening  Offices  of  Devotion,  ....    152 

CHAPTER   XI. 

ZARAGOZA    AND    MADRID.  ' 

Leave  Zaragoza — Mountain  Ascent — Central  Plateau  of  Spain — 
Halt  to  Breakfast — Fellow-Passengers — Ladies  and  Maids — Cala- 
tayud — Night— Table-Talk — Exile's  Story — Political  Discussion 
— Guadalaxara — Alacala — View  of  Madrid— The  Exile's  Recom- 
pense,   ^ 170 

CHAPTER    XII. 

MADRID.  '     ■     '.. 

Enter  the  City — Gate  of  the  Sun — New  Encounter  with  Old  Friends 
— Don  Diego— Dona  Florencia — Don  Valentine — Prado — Theatre 
— La  Mogigata — Bolero — The  Enraged  Chestnut  Women — Span- 
ish Actors  in  Tragedy  and  Farce — Masquerade — Its  Scenes — Es- 
cape  -^ 193 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

MADRID. 

Spanish  Soldiery — Morning  Parade — View  from  the  Palace — Gate 
of  Toledo — A  Review — Observatory — View — Royal  Museum — 
Velasquez  and  Munllo — Prado — Don  Diego — Search  for  Lodgings 
— Don  Diego  at  Dmner— Florencia— Thoughts  on  Emigration,  217 


10  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

LODGINGS    IN    MADRID. 

Apartments  —  Entrance — Dona  Lucretia  —  Anti-matrimonial  Argu- 
ments— Dona  Lucretia's  Mode  of  Life — Teatro  Casero — Fellow- 
Lodger — Scenes  from  my  Balcony — Occupation — Society,  P.  239 

CHAPTER   XV. 

POLITICAL   ANECDOTES. 

Ferdinand — Censorship  of  Morals — Teresa  the  Favourite — Zea  Ber- 
mudez — The  Succession — Council  of  Regency — Hypocrisy  of 
Ferdinand — Fernandez  del  Pino — Cordova — Marquis  of  Amarillas 
— Duke  of  Alagon — Queen  Regent — Carlotta — The  Conservatory 
— Christma, 249 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

^  BULLS. 

First  Horror  of  the  Uninitiated — Programme — A  Fight — The  Am- 
phitheatre— Opening  the  Feast— Procession  of  Fighters — The 
Hangman — The  Alguazils — Winter  Sport  Bad— A  Fierce  Bull — 
Sevilla  the  Picador — The  Encounter — A  Disgraced  Matadore — 
Pedro  Sanchez — Close, 268 

CHAPTERXVII. 

THE  CARNIVAL. 

Masquerades — La  Vida  Tunantesca — Poverty  and  Extravagance — 
Casade  Abrantes — Ecarte — Love — Dancing  and  Flirtation— Sleep 
— Morning— The  Fainting  Madrilena — The  Street — Lent— Cheap 
Pleasure — Royal  and  Republican  Canal-Diggers — Feast  on  the 
Manzanares — Burial  of  the  Sardinia, 286 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

PRISON  OF  THE  COURT. 

Lent— Devotion— A  Modem  Miracle — Prison  of  the  Court— Inmates 
— Don  Luis  de  Lemos— Don  Andres  de  Guevara — A  Murderer — 


CONTENTS.  11 

Imprisoned  Family— A  Contented  Mother— Distracted  Mother 
—  Common  Prison  —  Manolas— A  Female  Combat — The  Dun- 
geons,      Page  298 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

PRISON  OF  THE  SALADERO, 

Visit  of  Inspectors — Crowded  Cells— Extortion  of  Jailers — Profes- 
sions of  Innocence— A  Frenchman — A  Soldier — A  Priest — The 
would-be  Ravaillac  —  Pedro  Hebrero  —  Sacrilegious  Murder  — 
Courtyard— Common  Prisoners — Their  Condition — Development 
of  Crime, 322 


CHAPTER   XX. 

CRIME  AND  RETRIBUTION. 

La  Galera — Female  Convicts— The  Schoolmistress — Leocadia  Lin- 
dez — Maria  Guadeiio — The  Retcofa— Her  System — Her  Regrets — 
La  Inclusa — Exposure — Immorality  of  Foundling  Hospitals — El 
Rastro— The  Madrid  Morgue— An  Execution— Brotherhood  of 
Peace  and  Charity — Procession — The  Felon — The  Confessor — 
The  Garrote — Catastrophe — The  Requiem, 332 


SPAIN    REVISITED. 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R   I.  ^ 

DEPARTURE  FROM  BAYONNE. 

Bayonne — Difficulties  of  entering  Spain — Advice  of  Smuggler — Fer- 
min  Sylveti,  a  Pyrenean  Muleteer — Hotel  of  St.  Stephen — Party 
at  Dinner — Wet  Morning — Fonda  de  Espafia — Scene  of  Comfort 
in  a  Kitchen — Conversation  of  Muleteers — Journey  Commenced 
— Outskirts  of  Bayonne — Storm  in  the  Lower  Pyrenees — Anival 
at  Ustariz.       .  .  , 

On  the  10th  January,  1834,  I  arrived  in  Bay- 
onne on  my  way  to  Madrid.  A  royal  order  of 
Ferdinand,  directed  to  the  agents  of  the  govern- 
ment in  every  part  of  Spain,  had, been  issued  some 
two  years  before,  describing  me  by  name  as  the 
author  of  the  "  Year  in  Spain,"  and  stating  that  it 
was  my  intention  to  return  to  the  country,  in  which 
case  I  should  immediately  be  conducted  to  the 
nearest  frontier  and  dismissed.  The  work  itself 
was  to  be  seized  wherever  it  might  be  found. 
The  reasons  given  for  this  exclusion  were,  that  this 
ill-digested  production  contained  injurious  expres- 
sions concerning  the  king  and  royal  family  of  Spain, 


14  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

and  sacrilegious  mockery  of  her  institutions  and 
laws. 

Notwithstanding  this  order,  I  did  not  hesitate  to 
undertake  the  journey,  knowing  that  since  then  the 
government  had  undergone  an  entire  change,  and 
passed  completely  into  the  hands  of  the  opposite, 
or  liberal  party.  Besides,  some  time  had  elapsed, 
and  the  government,  assailed  by  insurrection  and 
civil  war,  had  sufficient  occupation  without  taking 
an  interest  in  the  movements  of  an  obscure  indi- 
vidual. ■    . 

This  order,  therefore,  presented  but  an  imagin- 
ary '  difficulty  in  the  way  of  my  penetrating  to 
Madrid;  there  were  others  that  were  sufficiently 
real.  Civil  war  was  raging  in  the  Basque  Prov- 
inces and  in  Navarre ;  the  diligences  had  for  some 
time  ceased  to  lan,  and  the  insurgents  were  particu- 
larly anxious  to  cut  off  all  communication  by  which 
a  knowledge  of  their  movements  might  be  convey- 
ed to  the  government.  It  was  therefore  extremely 
difficult  to  get  forward.  The  post-horses  had 
everywhere  been  seized  by  the  Carlists  to  mount 
their  cavalry,  and  only  a  few  mules  remained  at 
some  of  the  post-houses  between  Bayonne  and 
Vitoria.  One  of  the  first  things  I  heard  on  alight- 
ing at  the  old  inn  of  Saint  Stephen  was,  that  a 
French  courier,  who  had  arrived  that  day  from 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  15 

Vitoria,  had  been  attacked,  though  escorted  by  two 
hundred  men  of  the  Queen's  troops. 

As  the  surest  means  of  getting  good  advice 
concerning  my  future  movements,  I  sought  out  the 
merchant  to  whom  I  was  addressed  by  my  banker 
in  Bourdeaux.  As  he  was  in  constant  communica- 
tion with  Spain,  his  house  was  the  resort  of  all  the 
regular  traders  and  smugglers  of  that  nation  coming 
to  Bayonne.  On  entering  the  door  I  found  a  great 
number  of  Spaniards  smoking  paper  cigars,  and 
bargaining  in  a  quiet  way.  The  gentleman,  after 
reading  my  letter,  exposed  all  the  difficulties  at- 
tending a  journey  into  Spain  at  that  moment,  offer- 
ing to  present  me  to  a  merchant  just  arrived  from 
Madrid,  as  the  best  means  of  enlightening  me  on 
the  subject.     '  -  \.   . 

The  individual  in  question  was  a  tall,  dignified- 
looking  man,  dressed  in  the  Andalusian  costume 
for  the  road — a  sheepskin  jacket  with  silver  clasps, 
gacho  hat,  tight  breeches,  buskins  of  leather,  and 
silver  spurs.  He  had  just  arrived  in  twelve  days 
from  Madrid  on  his  own  mule,  having  been  stopped 
six  times  by  the  Carlists ;  but,  after  the  exhibition 
of  his  passport,  allowed  to  prosecute  his  journey. 
On  being  called  on  for  his  opinion  as  to  the  best 
course  for  me  to  pursue,  in  a  slow,  dignified  tone, 
and  in  very  pure  Castilian,  he  advised  me,  instead 


16  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

of  attempting  to  penetrate  by  Vitoria,  the  road  to 
which  was  covered  with  guerilla  parties,  to  go  with 
muleteers  to  Pamplona  and  Zaragoza,  at  which 
last  place  I  should  find  a  diligence  for  Madrid. 
The  merchant  strongly  concurred  in  recommending 
this  course,  as  the  only  one  by  which  I  was  at  all 
likely  to  get  forward  without  being  waylaid  and 
stripped. 

It  happened  that  there  was  a  muleteer  about  to 
start  the  same  night  for  Pamplona,  a  man  of  tried 
confidence,  who  was  habitually  charged  by  the 
merchants  of  Bayonne  with  affairs  of  importance, 
the  transmission  of  letters,  and  the  receipt  or  pay- 
ment of  large  sums  of  money.  He  happened  just 
then  to  enter :  a  stout,  weather-beaten  man,  in  a 
coarse  jacket,  and  trousers  kept  in  place  by  a  sash; 
a  nightcap,  surmounted  by  a  large  hat,  protected 
his  head,  while  the  ample  folds  of  the  brown  cloak 
enveloped  and  half  concealed  his  person.  On  his 
right  heel  was  a  spur  half  a  foot  long,  which  was 
intended  to  reach  the  mule's  flank  when  laden,  and 
which  attested  his  condition  of  muleteer.  Sylveti 
was  the  man's  name,  with  the  baptismal  addition 
of  Fermin,  from  the  patron  saint  of  Pamplona. 

He  was  told  that  he  was  to  take  me  to  Pam- 
plona ;  that  I  would  require  a  good  mule  for  myself, 
and  another  for  my  baggage ;  that  I  could  not  start 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  17 

until  the  morning ;  and  that  he  must  take  the  same 
care  of  me  as  if  I  were  the  merchant  himself. 
Being  asked  the  price,  he  slowly  removed  his 
paper  cigar,  and  uttered  the  characteristic  expres- 
sion of  "  conformed''  accompanied  with  the  question 
whether  he  should  provide  for  all  my  wants  on  the 
journey;  on  receiving  an  affirmative  answer,  he 
fixed  the  price  at  ten  dollars,  which  being  agreed 
to,'  the  conversation  terminated  with  the  emphatic 
exclamation  of  "  corriente  /"  The  matter  being  as 
completely  settled  as  if  a  treaty  had  been  signed 
by  duly  accredited  plenipotentiaries  on  both  sides, 
I  took  leave  of  the  parties,  expressing  becomingly 
my  gratitude  to  the  merchant  for  his  kindness,  and 
returned  to  the  hotel  for  dinner. 

Though  the  hotel  of  Saint  Stephen  had  very 
much  the  air  of  a  Spanish  posada,  it  greatly  belied 
its  looks,  as  it  furnished  both  a  good  bed  and  a 
good  dinner.  I  cannot  say  so  much  for  the  com- 
pany assembled  round  the  table,  which  consisted 
of  a  marching  officer  and  three  or  four  loquacious 
and  flippant  commercial  travellers.  The  conver- 
sation turned  partly  on  the  fare,  which  they  pro- 
nounced good,  partly  on  other  matters.  The 
officer  had  been  in  La  Vendee,  and  pronounced 
the  inhabitants  a  set  of  unreasonable  bears,  who 
required  rough  usage  to  keep  them  in  order ;  and 


18  SPAIN  REVISITED, 

made  other  remarks  productive  of  very  little  satis- 
faction to  a  sturdy  ragamuffin,  buttoned  to  the 
throat  in  a  coarse  frock,  and  without  any  outward 
or  visible  sign  of  a  shirt,  who  proved  to  be  of  that 
country,  and  who,  so  far  as  the  evidence  of  his 
appearance  went,  corroborated  the  officer's  denun- 
ciation. 

The  officer,  when  he  found  he  had  given  offence, 
apologized  for  the  mistake  he  had  made,  and  soon 
after  introduced  the  subject  of  his  own  accomplish- 
ments. By  his  own  account  he  sang  enchantingly, 
and  was  very  adroit  at  tricks  of  cards,  two  excel- 
lences which  furnished  him  with  a  passport  to 
society.  He  was  on  a  short  furlough,  and  had 
employed  a  couple  of  days  of  it  in  a  visit  to  Spain. 
He  had  been  to  Saint  Sebastian,  and  entertained 
the  company  with  an  account  of  Spain,  her  politi- 
cal condition,  and  the  influence  of  the  monks.  In 
the  course  of  the  dinner  there  occurred  a  dispute 
between  tw^o  travellers  as  to  the  relative  advantages 
of  country  and  city  life.  The  Briton  boasted  the 
charms  of  the  country  and  the  pleasvires  of  the 
chase  ;  the  other  vaunted  the  matchless  attractions  . 
of  a  Parisian  existence^ — the  theatres,  coffee-houses, 
and  brilliant  soirees  of  the  capital.  Leaving  them 
to  settle  this  and  other  arguments  likely  to  arise 
as  best  they  might,  and  the  officer  to  exhibit,  if  he 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  19 

pleased,  a  specimen  of  his  singing  and  jugglery, 
I  retired  at  an  early  hour,  in  search  of  the  repose 
which  was  to  prepare  me  for  the  toils  of  the  mor- 
row. 

At  five  in  the  morning  I  was  awaked  by  the 
porter,  who  was  to  conduct  me  to  Sylveti's  inn. 
As  we  issued  into  the  street  we  found  ourselves  in 
almost  utter  darkness  ;  the  exhausted  lamps  were 
dimly  glimmering,  or  had  already  shed  their  last 
faint  rays,  while  the  rain,  which  had  long  since  fur- 
nished the  ill-paved  streets  with  countless  lakes 
and  rivulets,  still  fell  in  a  steady,  deliberate  drizzle, 
which  gave  no  promise  of  its  speedy  termination. 
Every  now  'and  then  we  would  plunge  into  one  of 
these  streams,  or  step  ankle-deep  into  a  hollow  of 
the  wornout  pavement,  or  come  under  the  waterfall 
of  a  projecting  roof.  The  man  who  carried  my 
luggage  moreover  missed  the  road,  and,  after  wan- 
dering half  an  hour,  retraced  his  steps,  knocking 
ineffectually  at  several  doors,  whence  we  were 
greeted  with  no  very  complimentary  answers  from 
the  disturbed  inmates.  The  gloom  of  the  scene 
in  these  deserted  streets,  and  the  prospect  which  I 
had  of  setting  out,  already  wet  and  cold,  to  climb 
the  Pyrenees  in  a  rainy  day,  and  penetrate  a  coun- 
try insecure  at  all  times,  now  abandoned  to  the 
horrors  of  civil  war,  gave  a  tinge  of  sadness  and 


20  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

disquietude  to  the  feelings  with  which  I  was  about 
to  commence  my  journey. 

Having  struck  at  length  on  the  right  scent,  we 
found  ourselves  at  the  door  of  the  Fonda  de  Es- 
pafia,  which  Sylveti  himself  hastened  to  open  to 
us.  It  was  a  Spanish  inn,  in  truth  as  well  as  in 
name ;  and,  as  I  thridded  the  labyrinth  of  carts, 
galeras,  packages,  and  mules,  I  could  scarce  per- 
suade myself  that  I  had  not  already  crossed  the 
frontier.  Having  conducted  me  to  the  kitchen, 
where  I  found  the  huge  fireplace  occupying  a 
whole  side  of  the  room,  Sylveti  returned  to  pack 
my  baggage  and  make  all  ready ;  a  heap  of  brush- 
wood and  fagots  was  blazing  cheerfully  in  the 
center,  while  the  hissing  of  the  rain-drops,  that 
found  their  way  down  the  chimney,  served  to  add 
a  new  attraction  to  the  place,  by  keeping  up  the 
memory  of  the  discomfort  which  reigned  without. 

One  side  of  the  kitchen  was  occupied  by  a  dres- 
ser with  furnaces,  over  which  a  tall  mountain-wom- 
an was  toasting  bread  and  mulling  chocolate.  She 
was  quite  slatternly  in  her  appearance,  having  lank, 
black  hair,  hanging  in  disorder,  and  dragging  after 
her  a  pair  of  slipshod  shoes  ;  being,  moreover,  free 
and  bold  of  speech,  with  a  sharp  wit,  unrestrained 
by  any  particular  delicacy,  and  expressing  itself 
by  turns  in  French,  Spanish,  or  Basque,  with  a 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  21 

piquancy  which  seemed  to  draw  forth  smiles  of 
approbation  from  the  party  assembled  about  the 
fire,  composed  chiefly  of  Spanish  muleteers. 

The  conversation  among  them,  when  not  mo- 
nopolized by  the  slattern  aforesaid,  turned  upon 
the  civil  war  which  was  devastating  their  country; 
they  spoke  of  the  difficulty  of  a  peaceable  man's 
following  his  occupations  and  passing  from  place 
to  place  without  being  compromised,  and  expressed 
the  hope  that  the  combatants  would  speedily  fall 
to  in  earnest,  cut  each  other's  throats,  and  settle 
the  matter  once  and  for  ever.  One  fellow,  seated 
very  comfortably  in  an  arm-chair,  gravely  and  sen- 
tentiously  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  the  best  thing 
a  quiet  and  well-intentioned  person  could  do,  in 
these  times,  was  to  stow  himself  away  in  a  good 
inn,  light  his  cigar,  and  be  silent — lo  mejor  es 
quedar  en  una  buena  posada,  echar  su  cigarillo  y 
callar;  and,  as  he  ended  the  sentence,  he  took  out 
his  paper  and  tobacco,  and  proceeded  to  suit  the 
action  to  the  word. 

By  the  time  I  had  swallowed  my  chocolate,  Syl- 
veti  came  to  say  that  we  would  mount  when  I  was 
ready.  Taking  leave  of  the  group  about  the  fire, 
who  wished  me  a  pleasant  journey,  more  as  a  mat- 
ter of  ceremony  than  with  any  expectation  that  it 
would  be  realized,  I  took  my  way  to  the  stable- 


22  SPAIN  RKVISITED. 

yard.  Here  stood,  prepared  for  me,  a  strong,  stub- 
born little  horse,  with  a  high-pommelled  saddle  and 
a  heavy  bit :  having  adjusted  the  stirrups,  I  mount- 
ed at  once.  The  gates  of  the  town  were  not  yet 
opened,  and,  seated  in  the  saddle,  I  awaited  the 
return  of  the  person  who  was  to  advise  us  when 
we  might  set  forward.  My  little  horse  was  planted 
near  the  half-open  door;  behind  stood  Sylveti's 
mule,  on  which  my  luggage  was  laden,  the  whole 
being  concealed  and  protected  from  the  weather 
by  a  number  of  gayly-coloured  mantas.  His  neck 
and  body  were  smoothly  shaven  of  the  hair,  which, 
on  a  day  such  as  this,  would  have  furnished  no 
unacceptable  protection ;  and  his  head,  adorned  with 
.a  halter  trimmed  with  red  worsted  tassels,  was 
thrust  forward  with  a  knowing  expression  to  catch 
sight  of  the  weather  without,  and  estimate  the 
prospects  of  an  agreeable  journey. 

Farther  within  stood  a  collection  of  impainted 
carts  and  wagons,  having  roofs  of  reeds  covered 
with  canvass ;  on  either  side,  against  the  wall,  hung 
huge  collars  and  other  primitive  harness,  while  still 
beyond  were  heard  the  jingling  bells  of  the  more 
fortunate  mules,  which,  ignorant  of  the  hour  which 
might  call  them  also  forth,  were  busily  chewing 
their  barley. 

The  pains-taking  landlord,  having  in  his  left  hand 


SPAIN  REYISITED.  23 

one  of  those  primitive  lamps  of  iron,  in  which  the 
oil  and  wick  are  alike  uncovered,  such  exactly  as 
his  prototype,  the  Manchego  innkeeper,  smashed 
against  the  head  of  Don  Quixote,  was  receiving, 
with  the  right  the  francs,  pistareens,  and  quarters, 
which  Sylveti  doled  out,  with  a  due  attention  to  the 
value  of  each.  To  complete  the  picture,  the  stable- 
man busied  himself  benevolently  in  enveloping  my 
stirrups  in  straw,  that  I  might  feel  the  cold  less 
sensibly.  The  opening  of  the  gates  was  at  length 
announced  to  us.  The  hostler  led  my  bidet  out 
into  the  street ;  Sylveti  followed  and  took  the  lead, 
conducting  me,  through  gate  and  over  drawbridge, 
into  the  open  country  without  the  fortress  of  Bay- 
onne.  .      ;      .  _ 

The  day  had  not  yet  dawned ;  it  continued  to 
rain,  and  there  was  not  a  soul  upon  the  road  besides 
ourselves.  Soon  after,  there  was  a  glimmering  of 
light ;  and,  as  it  increased,  we  began  to  meet  a 
few  solitary  individuals  making  their  way  to  mar- 
ket :  an  old  woman  with  a  basket  of  turnips  on  her 
head,  milk-maids  with  jars  of  tin  or  earthen  ware, 
covered  with  leaves,  and  a  few  despondent-looking 
asses.  The  level  and  monotonous  Landes  had  dis- 
appeared altogether,  with  their  sands  and  pine-trees, 
and  in  their  place  lay,  unfolded  before  us,  a  beau- 
tifully-variegated country ;  the  green  fields  divided, 


24  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

as  in  England,  by  hawthorn  hedges,  and  the  whole 
broken  delightfully  into  hill  and  dale,  and  swelhng 
gradually  upward  until  the  view  was  terminated 
by  the  lofty  ridges  of  the  Pyrenees. 

Our  road  almost  immediately  commenced  as- 
cending. The  rain  now  ceased  altogether ;  but  it 
was  only  to  prepare  for  a  grand  uproar  and  deluge. 
The  thunder  was  heard  muttering  in  the  distant 
mountains  ;  the  sky  became  overcast  and  blacken- 
ed ;  the  day  gradually  receding  as  it  had  come, 
until  dark  night  once  more  overshadowed  the  whole 
scene.  At  first  a  few  large  drops  of  rain  began 
to  fall  with  a  pattering  sound ;  presently  it  com- 
menced pouring  in  torrents  ;  then  a  breeze  sprang 
up,  and  it  soon  blew  violently;  the  rain  now 
changed  into  hail,  which  struck  us  like  a  shower 
of  bullets. 

We  had  reached  the  summit  of  a  pass,  and,  as 
there  were  neither  trees  nor  houses  near,  we  were 
thfr  highest  objects  to  attract  the  lightning.  Syl- 
veti  was  before  me,  seated  sidewise  on  his  mule, 
his  cloak  hanging  round  him,  covering  himself  and 
the  baggage  like  a  tent.  When  on  the  summit, 
there  was  a  flash  of  lightning  so  vivid,  and  appa- 
rently so  close,  as  for  a  moment  to  blind  me ;  it 
traced  itself  distinctly  against  Sylveti's  cloak  and 
the  mule,  and  appeared  to  have  passed  between 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  25 

US,  being  accompanied  by  a  crash  of  thunder  so 
loud  and  so  terrible,  that  it  seemed  sufficient  to 
send  the  crests  of  the  mountains  toppling  into  the 
abyss. 

My  first  thought  was  one  of  astonishment  that 
neither  Sylveti  nor  I  was  hurt,  nor  our  beasts, 
though  they  refused  to  go  on,  for  the  hail  was 
driving  with  fury  in  their  faces,  and  my  horse's 
mane  was  converted  by  it  into  a  frozen  mass.  A 
few  oaths,  and  a  few  applications  of  the  long  spur, 
set  the  mule  in  motion  again,  and  my  horse  follow- 
ed. I  had  never  witnessed  a  more  dreadful  uproar 
of  the  elements.  -  *  >         -.     .  i  • 

My  cloak  was  covered  with  hailstones ;  it  was 

exceedingly  cold,  and  the  sweeping  of  the  blast 

rendered  respiration  difficult;  I  was  drenched  to 

the   skin  with  the  previous   rain,  benumbed  and 

chilled  to  the  very  heart,  and  had  never  been  so 

thoroughly  uncomfortable.     In  my  despondence  I 

looked  with  complacency  to  the  rerrjoter  evils  that 

were  passed,  and  half  wished  myself  back  to  the 

gloomy  metropolis  which  I  had  so  recently  left, 

canopied  again  by  its  eternal  mantle  of  fog  and 

coal-smoke,  and  delivered  up,  body  and  soul,  to  the 

black  melancholy  that  consumed  me  there.     Even 

the  risk  of  being  drowned  in  a  sea  of  mud,  and 

shovelled  into  a  scrapings  cart,  crushed  by  a  brew- 
VOL.  I. — B  3 


26  SPAIN  REVISITED, 

er's  horse,  or  run  dawn  by  a  heavily-laden  omnibus, 
seemed  for  the  moment  preferable  to  the  less  in- 
glorious chances  of  being  struck  by  lightning  on 
the  top  of  the  Pyrenees. 

As  we  descended  this  first  mountain  range,  the 
thunder  and  lightning  became  more  distant,  but  the 
rain  still  fell  in  torrents.  Presently  we  came  to  a 
village  which  I  was  convinced  must  be  our  stop- 
ping-place, where  we  were  to  rejoin  the  caravan 
which  had  preceded  us  the  night  before,  vainly 
fancying  every  house  we  came  to  the  inn,  until  we 
had  left  the  last  behind  us.  Another  mile  or  two 
of  suffering,  despondence,  and  sullen  silence,  inter- 
rupted by  no  idle  questions  about  the  distance, 
brought  us  to  Ustariz,  a  beautifully-situated  village 
on  the  western  side  of  a  mountain,  which  sloped 
downwards  towards  the  winding  Nive.  We  trot- 
ted onwards,  saluted  by  compassionate  looks  from 
the  women,  and  sneering  grins  from  sundry  idle 
troopers  posted  in  the  doorways,  until  nearly  the 
whole  village  was  behind  us,  at  almost  the  last 
house  af  which  Sylveti's  mule  turned  instinctively 
into  an  open  doorway,  which  gave  us  admittance 
into  , the  stable  of  the  village  inn.       .»• 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  27 


CHAPTER    11. 


SOJOURN  IN  TJSTARIZ. 


Inn  at  Ustariz — Chimney  Comer— Determination  to  Halt— Strife 
beyond  the  Frontiers — Pohtics  among  Muleteers — Lodgings  in 
Ustariz— Pyrenean  Dinner — Evening  Scene  about  the  Kitchen 
Fire— Daybreak  in  the  Mountains. 

When  I  alighted  in  the  inn  of  Ustariz  I  could 
scarcely  stand ;  my  feet  and  limbs  were  completely 
benumbed,  and  refused  duty,  and  my  cloak  was 
thoroughly  saturated  with  water,  and  held  me  like 
a  prisoner  within  its  chill  embrace,  until  Sylveti 
relieved  me  of  its  weight.  Released  from  this 
durance,  I  ascended  a  flight  of  stairs  in  search  of 
the  kitchen,  which  I  entered  with  a  rapture  not 
easily  conceived,  taking  my  seat  within  its  ample 
chimney.  It  had  an  immense  fireplace,  with  an 
iron  back,  on  which  were  grotesque  figures  of  men 
and  animals,  whose  expression,  changed  as  the 
blaze  grew  and  waned;  a  huge  chain,  to  which  a 
kettle  was  suspended,  might  be  traced  up  the 
chimney  until  lost  in  its  gloom ;  below  was  a  glo- 
rious heap  of  glowing  embers,  on  which  a  pile  of 
brushwood  was  immediately  thrown  to  greet  and 
welcome  our  arrival.  ."       ,       ." 

B  2       • 


28  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

The  group  about  the  fire,  which  had  so  readily 
made  room  for  me,  consisted,  besides  sundry  Span- 
ish muleteers,  of  the  master  of  the  house,  an  old 
fellow  with  a  single  tooth,  of  which  he  seemed 
very  proud;  his  wife,  a  decent,  pains-taking  old 
body;  and  one  daughter,  a  tight-built,  tidy  lassie, 
who  scolded  both  alternately,  and  seemed  to  have 
quite  the  upper  hand  in  the  establishment.  She 
was  tastily  dressed  in  a  gay  calico,  wearing  on  her 
head  a  cross-barred  handkerchief,  with  the  folds 
very  coquettishly  arranged ;  while  her  foot,  which 
was  a  very  neat  one,  was  hid  away  in  one  corner 
of  a  wooden  shoe,  which  kept  clattering  incessant- 
ly over  the  briok  floor  as  she  came  and  went  from 
cupboard  to  dresser.  The  pleasure  to  be  found  in 
contemplating  so  agreeable  an  object  as  a  tidy 
woman  at  her  domestic  cares  was  nothing,  how- 
ever, compared  with  that  which  I  derived  from 
drying  and  thawing  my  benumbed  limbs,  and  the 
gradual  expansion  of  body  and  soul  which  I  expe- 
rienced as  the  genial  process  went  on;  as,  how- 
ever, the  two  pleasures  did  not  in  any  way  inter- 
fere with  each  other,  I  contrived  to  enjoy  them 
together.  -  .     *  - 

Erelong  the  pleasing  revery  into  which  I  had 
fallen  was  interrupted  by  Sylveti's  coming  to  ask 
me  if  we   should  go   on,  which  I  answered  by 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  29 

placing  myself  entirely  under  his  orders  to  advance 
or  to  remain.  He  looked  out  of  the  window, 
through  which  the  cold  air  and  rain  rushed,  most 
eloquently  arguing  against  the  renewal  of  our  jour- 
ney; a*nd,  after  a  moment's  pause,  he  decided  that 
we  should  remain  where  we  were  until  the  next 
day ;  a  decision  which  was  pronounced  to  be  full 
of  wisdom  by  the  innkeeper,  by  his  wife,  and  the 
pretty  daughter;  even  the  maid  of  all  works,  who, 
being  so  near  Spain,  claimed  the  privilege  of  ex- 
pressing her  opinion  on.  all  occasions,  applauded 
the  discretion  of  Svlveti. '       $^'  ■ 

He  now  told  me  that  he  had  just  heard  that  a 
body  of  two  hundred  of  the  Queen's  troops  had 
thrown  themselves  into  the  frontier  town  of  Urdax, 
to'  renew  the  collection  of  duties  on  all  articles 
entering  the  country,  and  had  put  to  flight  or  to 
death  all  the  Carlist  authorities  who  had  been 
collecting  the  revenue.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
people  of  the  valley  of  Bastan,  who  are  for  Carlos 
to  a  man,  had  assembled  a  force  of  seven  hundred 
men,  and,  surrounding  the  Queen's  troops,  held 
them  in  a  state  of  siege,  with  all  their  communica- , 
tions  cut  off.  This  was  not  very  encouraging  in- 
telhgence  for  us,  afe  Urdax  was  in  the  direct  line 
of  our  route,  and  we  should  have  to  pass  through 
both  parties,  at  the  risk  of  sharing  in  the  blows 


30  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

distributed  in  a  quarrel  in  which  we  were  in  no 
wise  interested.  It  was  on  this  account,  and  to 
gain  time  for  consideration,  rather  than  out  of  any- 
dread  of  the  weather,  that  Sylveti  decided  that  we 
should  not  abandon  our  present  comfortable  quar- 
ters. •   .         •    J 

This  intelligence  from  Urdax  gave  rise  to  a 
great  deal  of  political  discussion  among  the  mulet-- 
eers,  who  gave  evidence  of  being  outrageous  Car- 
lists,  excepting  the  old  and  wary  Sylveti,  who 
assented,  however,  by  nods,  to  every  thing  that 
was  said.  They  evinced  great  dissatisfaction  with 
Carlos  for  not  appearing ;  spoke  scornfully  of  his 
cowardice  in  not  coming  forward  to  assert  his 
rights  and  head  his  party,  who  were  exposing 
themselves,  and  dying  unavailingly  in  his  quarrel. 
They  seemed  to  have  the  idea  that  the  Queen's 
ministers  and  officers  Were  temporizing,  and  en- 
deavouring to  keep  well  with  both  parties  in  the 
event  of  a  change.     .  •  •  ^ 

■  There  was  great  exasp'feration,  to  be  sure,  be- 
tween the  Carlists  and  Pistareen-men,  so  called 
from  the  value  of  their  daily  pay,  who,  being  from 
the  same  country,  and  mutually  volunteers  in  fa- 
vour of  opposite  opinions,  carried  on  the  war  with 
a  fanatic  spirit,  and  put  each  other  to  death  without 
mercy.  -  But  the  regular  army  pursued  the  insur- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  "31 

gents  with  little  ardour;  according  to  them  three 
Carlists,  being  driven  into  a  house  and  besieged 
there  by  two  hundred  soldiers,  managed,  after  kil- 
ling a  number,  to  hold  out  during  a  whole  day,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  they  effected  their  escape. 
A  sententious  young  fellow,  the  same  who  had 
made  the  speech  in  the  posada  at  Bayonne,  and 
who  had  arrived  after  us,  concluded  the  discussion 
by  saying  that  "  neither  party  hkes  dying — nadie 
quiere  morir."    ^ .      . 

As  we  were  to  pass  the  day  at  Ustariz,  Sylveti 
set  about  making  me  comfortable.  The  state  bed- 
room was  presently  warmed  with  a  rousing  fire, 
and  my  luggage  deposited  in  it :  it  was  a  vast  ob- 
long room,  with  a  neatly  waxed  oaken  floor,  and  an 
air  of  great  cleanliness ;  the  corners'  being  occupied 
by  two  very  large  beds  canopied  by  heavy  testers, 
while  at  one  side  Was  a  huge  clothes-press,  and 
at  the  other  a  bureau,  on  which  stood  a  couple  of 
vases  containing  wit^hered  flowers;  two  gourds, 
resembling  oranges,  were  symmetrically  posted  on 
either  side,  while  between  them  stood  an  hourglass, 
intended  as  an  emblem  of  our  fleeting  existence 
and  a  memento  of  the  value  of  time,  or  perhaps  to 
serve  in  measuring  the  duration  of  the  occupants' 
devotions. 
•   At  the  head  of  each  bed  was  a  little  picture  of 


32  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

the  Virgin,  framed  into  the  headboard,  while  close 
at  hand  hung  a  small  ebony  crucifix  having  a  bronze 
figure  of  the  Saviour  affixed,  and  a  conch-shell 
beneath  containing  holy  water.  There  were,  be- 
sides,., a  number  of  devotional  pictures  hung  round 
■: — the  worshipping  of  the  wise  men,  the  baptism  in 
the  Jordan,  the  crucifixion.  Every  thing,  indeed, 
about  the  room  indicated  the  rehgious  character  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  mountain  district,  and  a  fi.xed 
purpose  to  set  the  devil  at  defiance,     v 

Not  the  least  attraction  of  this,  my  temporary 
home,  was  the  balcony  which  flanked  the  entire 
side  of  the  room  overlooking  the  river,  and  which 
was  reached  by  a  glass  door,  through  which  I  visit- 
ed it  from  time  to  time  during  thfe  day,  to  study 
the  workings  of  the  storm  and  the  chances  of  the 
weather,  or  admire  the  beauty  and  magnificence  of 
the  scene.  By  the  time  I  had  recpnnoitred  every 
nook  and  corner  of  my.  castle,  with  the  possession 
of  which  I  was  amazingly  pleased,  iand  provided 
for  my  greater  comfort  by  a  change  of  clothes, 
Syl'veti  came  to  announce  dinner. 

•  It  was  served  in  one  corner  of  the  kitchen,  on  a 
rough  pine  table,  covered  with  a  coarse  but  per- 
fectly clean  cloth.  Sylveti  had  provided  me  with 
a  napkin,  and  a  silver  spoon. and  fork,  while, him- 
self, his  brother,  and  three  other  muleteers  journey- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  33 

ing  the  same  way,  used  the  less  luxurious  material 
of  boxwood.  They  placed  the  first  dish  before 
me,  and  waited  until  I  was  served  ;  it  was  a  soup 
of  bread,  oil,  and  water,  seasoned  with  the  powder 
of  the  red  pepper  of  domestic  growth;  greens, 
beans,  and  stewed  codfi.sh  followed ;  then  came  a 
fresh  fish  swimming  in  a  perfect  sea  of  oil;  and, 
lastly,  we  had  a  tortilla  or  omelet,  after  which  a 
dessert  succeeded,  consisting  of  dried  grapes,  nuts, 
and  figs,  followed  by  very  good  coffee  and  a  glass 
of  brandy.  The  wine  served  during  the  meal  was 
sweet  and  weak,  such  as  one  might  expect  in  so 
mountainous  and  rainy  a  district-  ■ '•'   . 

.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  this  was  a  meager  day; 
it  was  indeed  the  season  of  jubilee,  to  be  celebra- 
ted by  fasting  and  prayer,  and  the  landlord  had  an 
economical  as  well  as  religious  motive  in  following 
the  mandates  of  the  church.  The  Spaniards,  who 
are  under  a  peculiar  ordinance,  and  who  have  only 
sixteen  fish  days  throughout  the  year,  complained 
very  much  of  thqir  dinner,  and  drew  very  dispara- 
ging comparisons  between  French  cookery  and 
their  own.  They  were  only  ten  miles  from  the 
frontier,  yet  they  were  speculating  upon  the  differ- 
ent appearance  the  codfish  would  have  assumed  in 
a  Spanish  posada,  with  a  plentiful  garnish  of  garlic, 

peppers,  and  saffron.     During  the  repast,  the  land- 

b3 


34  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

lord,  the  landlady,  and  the  daughter  kept  hovering 
aboul,  joining  appropriately  in  the  conversation,  or 
aiding  the  maid,  who  thus  found  time  to  bandy 
gallant  w^ords  and  exchange  a  few  amorous  glances 
with  the  sturdy  muleteers. 

The  political  conversation  was  again  renewed, 
and  the  sententious  young  muleteer  managed,  while 
he  sustained  his  argument,  to  carry  on  by  word  of 
hand,  wholly  unobserved  as  he  thought,  a  little 
practical  gallantry  with  the  willing  damsel  behind 
him.  Meanwhile  a  large  sheep-dog  sat  imploring- 
ly at  hand,  watching  the  progress  of  each  morsel 
from  plate  to  mouth,  and  ready  to  receive  any  offer- 
ing, however  humble  ;  while  farther  away  skulked 
two  stealthy  cats,  not  less  interested  observers  of 
passing  events,  and  which,  though  apparently  ab- 
sorbed in  polishing  the  rejected  plates,  or  licking 
the  meat-block,  were  at  (he  same  time  on  the  look- 
out to  profit  Tjy  any  intermission  of  watchfulness, 
to  extend  the  sphere  of  their  depredations. 

Soon  after  dinner  it  cleared  off  delightfully,  and 
I  enjoyed  from  my  balcony  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful views  it  was  possible  to  behold.  The  house 
was  built  on  the  steep  side  of  the  western  branch 
of  the  Nive ;  the  whole  space  between  it  and  the 
river  being  formed  into  terraces  connected  by  steps, 
and  cultivated  as  a  kitchen-garden ;  and  the  stream, 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  35 

skirted  throughout  its  course  by  a  number  of  noisy 
mills  to  which  it  gave  motion.  This  branch  was 
divided  from  the  main  body  of  the  river  by  a  low 
island,  which  formed  a  beautiful  meadow,  with  oc- 
casional clumps  of  trees,  and  which  was  now  afloat 
in  many  places  from  the  heavy  rains,  the  island 
being  connected  with  the  town  by  a  narrow  bridge 
of  plank,  on  which  a  woman  was  just  then  passing 
with  a  basket  on  her  head,  to  join  a  party  engaged 
in  spreading  clothes  ,tO;  bleach.  A  few  light  canoes 
of  beautiful  construction  were  tied  to  trees  along 
the  shore.    .  ■%     •         ,         ,*.•..■; 

Beyond  the  island  flowed  the  main  body  of  the 
Nive,  swollen  to  a. deep  and  rapid  stream,  whose 
waters  rushed  in.  a  broken  and  tumultuous  current. 
Jts.  eastern  bank  was  formed  by  a  gently-sloping 
hill,  divided  by  hedges,  and  covered  by  a  varied 
cultivation,  upon-  whose  changing  hues  the  decli- 
ning  sun  shone  full,  and  brilliantly.  To  the  right, 
the  Nive  wound. upward  to  its  source,  occasionally 
lost  and  seen  again^  until  it  disappeared  in  the 
gorges  of  the  Pyrenees,  which  rose  nobly,  in  round 
and  graceful  .outlines,  like  the  dark  ridges  of  the 
Catskill. 

Towards  dusk  the  whole  village  was  summoned 
by  sound  of  bell  to  the  evening  prayers  and  ser- 
mon, which  was  preached  in  Basque.    Supper  sue- 


36  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

ceeded  in  due  time,  differing  in  no  respect  from 
the  dinner,  and  the  events  of  the  day  closed  by  a 
general  assemblage,  about  the  kitchen  fire,  of  all 
the  landlord's  family,  the  travellers,  some  few  vil- 
lage oracles,  and  a  party  of  troopers  billeted  in  the 
house.  There  were,  indeed,  soldiers  in  every  vil- 
lage of  the  frontier,  the  army  of  observation  along 
it  amounting  to  no  fewer  than  a  hundred  thousand 
men;  a  company  of  lancers  garrisoned  this  village, 
and,  at  different  periods  during  the  day,  the  trum- 
peter  might  be  heard  calling  them,  by  each  well- 
distinguished  blast,  to  feed  or  dress  their  horses, 
to  dine,  or  to  retire  each  to  his  abode.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening  I  thought  I  could  detect  a 
budding  affection  between  a  neat-looking  sergeant 
and  the  landlord's  daughter,  to  end  in  matrimony 
or  otherwise.     >  » 

The  next  morning  I  was  awaked  at  an  early 
hour,  and  found  the  maid,  alone  in  waiting  to 
dispense  the  chocolate,  the  rest  of  the  family  not 
having  yet  arisen,  and  the  muleteers  being  below 
lading  their  mules.  All  the  chairs  were  vacant 
except'  one,  in  which  the  cat  luxuriously  reposed, 
excited  into  pleasing  dreams  by  the  genial  heat  of 
the  fire,  dozing,  purring,  and  unsheathing  her  claws 
as  if  seizing  upon  a  mouse ;  the  dog  had  taken  his 
station  much  nearer  the  fire,  so  as  to  be  almost  in 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  37 

the  ashes,  where  he  lay  grinning  and  showing  his 
teeth  convulsively.  Having  taken  my  chocolate, 
I  returned  to  my  room  and  opened  the  balcony,  to 
study  the  prospects  that  the  weather  afforded  of  an 
agreeable  journey.     .  , 

Though  a  gray  streak  in  the  east  indicated  the 
approach  of  day,  it  was  still  quite  dark,  and  a  few 
planets  and  stars  of  greater  magnitude  still  shone 
brightly  out  in  the  clear  blue  sky.  The  outline  of 
the  opposite  ridge  towards  the  east  might  be  dis- 
tinctly traced,  and  the  white  streak  in  the  valley 
below,  which  marked  the  windings  of  the  Nive ; 
erelong  the  light  began  to  diffuse  itself  in  a  purple 
tint,  beautifully  colouring  two  or  three  clouds 
which  were  travelling  lazily  over.  The  summit 
of  the  opposite  ridge  caught  the  next  rays,  its  trees, 
brushwood,  and  all  its  minutest  inflections  being 
palpably  seen,  while  all  below  yet  remained  in 
darkness.  Imperceptibly,  as  the  day  grew  and 
gathered  strength,  the  tints  of  the  sky  and  clouds 
became  more  and  more  gorgeous,  and  the  light, 
dissipating  the  gloom  of  the  valley,  showed  the 
varied  hues  of  the  cultivated  fields,  the  dark  fringe  . 
of  the  hedges  that  divided  them,  the  course  of  the 
Nive  with  its  mills,  and  the  scattered  dwellings  of 
the   inhabitants,  from  which  the  first  wreaths  of 

cheerful  smoke  were  beginning  to  ascend  in  tiny 

4 


38  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

threads  of  fleece,  until  one  by  one  the  beauties  of 
this  lovely  vale  were  all  revealed. 

For  a  while,  as  I  gazed,  the  absence  of  all 
sounds,  except  the  rushing  torrent  beneath,  kept 
up  the  idea  of  utter  solitude ;  the  renewed  clatter 
of  a  mill  below  was  the  first  to  renew  the  turmoil ; 
presently  after  the  hoarse  bell  of  the  village  church 
began  to  toll  with  slow  and  measured  strokO) 
breaking  awfully  upon  the  silence  of  the  valley, 
and  reverberating  among  the  distant  mountains. 
It  called  the  faithful  to  matin  mass,  and  announced 
that  the  inhabitants  of  this  secluded  vale  were 
about  to  begin,  with  devotion,  the  labours  of  another 
day.  .        •..       ..•    .  ..;       ,. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  39 


CHAPTER   III. 


CROSSING  THE  PYRENEES. 


Departure  from  Ustariz— Traits  of  Mulish  Character — Attributes  of 
GaUcian  Mules— Frontier— Perplexities  on  entering  Spain— Car- 
lists  and  Christines— Carlist  Band  going  to  attack  Urdax— A  Car- 
list  Commissary — Valley  of  the  Vidasoa— Night  in  Elvetia. 

The  sun  had  already  risen  when  I  found  myself 
mounted  on  the  back  of  the  mule  which  was  to 
bear  me  to  Pamplona.  The  horse  which  had 
brought  me  from  Bayonne  to  Ustariz  had  been 
sent  back,  as,  beyond  the  frontier,  he  would  in- 
stantly have  been  seized  by  the.Carlists,  and  con- 
verted from  his  present  peaceful  occupations,  so 
well  suited  to  his  temper,  into  the  charger  of  a 
bearded  and  bristling  trooper,  with  irregular  hours, 
hard  kicks  in  the  flank  from  armed  heels,  and  sad 
lack  of  barley. 

Instead  of  the  ordinary  saddle  and  stirrups,  I 
was  accommodated  with  a  broad  pack,  upon  which 
I  was  free  to  sit  a,s  I  pleased,  and  could  turn  about 
from  time  to  time  to  bring  a  new  set  of  muscles 
into  action,  or  direct  my  eyes  towards  the  quarter 
which  offered  the  most  attraction.  Sylveti  led  the 
vanguard;  my  mule  came  next,  its  head  being  tied 


40  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

to  the  tail  of  the  preceding  one ;  and  so  with  all  the 
beasts  of  our  caravan,  consisting  of  eight  Two 
other  muleteers,  having  each  three  or  four  mules, 
kept  company  with  us,  being  anxious  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  protection  of  Sylveti. 

Our  road  was  nothing  more  than  a  bridle,  or,  as 
the  Spaniards  call  it,  a  horseshoe  path,  winding 
among  the  cork-trees,  which  here  abound,  and 
taking  the  shortest  way  over  mountain  and  valley ; 
but,  as  there  was  an  infinity  of  branches  of  the 
beaten  track,  the  selection  of  the  best  and  shortest 
was  a  matter  of  importance,  which,  however,  was 
left  almost  entirely  to  the  sagacity  of  the  mules. 
My  mule  had  been  hitherto  accustomed  to  lead, 
and,  apparently,  he  did  not  like  to  be  superseded, 
or  did  not  always  approve  of  the  choice  made  by 
the  beast  which  had  usurped  his  place;  for,  after 
many  dissatisfied  shakes  of  the  head,  he  at  length 
fell  back  with  all  his  weight,  and  with  an  energy 
capable  of  dragging  his  predecessor's  tail  out  by 
the  roots;  the  halter,  however,  broke,  and  the  lib- 
erated animal,  taking  another  track,  placed  himself 
triumphantly  in  Ijis  proper  place  at  the  head  of  the 
caravan.        \  .       ••••",: 

Sylveti,  instead  of  being  vexed,  and  cursing  and 
slandering  the  mule's  mother,  according  to  custom, 
admitted  that  she  'had  done  a  good  thing  in  bring- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  41 

ing  him  into  the  world,  and  that  the  mule  was  most 
worthy  to  be  the  captain,  and  had  claimed  no  more 
than  was  his  due.  He  took  occasion  to  pronounce 
a  very  eloquent  eulogium  upon  the  animal,  Gallego 
by  name,  from  the  province  which  had  the  honour 
of  his  birth,  and  thus  characterized  him  in  sum- 
ming up:  "  Some  Gcillicians  are  lazy,  and  will  not 
go,  or  else  they  are  impatient,  and  go  too  fast,  or 
stop  to  browse  by  the  way ;  not  so  this  one :  hei  is 
a  good  GaUician ;  he  picks  his  way  discreetly ;  will 
not  stop  even  to  crop  the  leaves  that  thrust  them- 
selves into  his  mouth ;  and  ever  keeps  up  his  regu- 
lar pace,  not  a  fast  one  to  be  sure,  but  still  steady 
and  persevering,  and  suited  to  the  caravan." 

I  had  occasion  to  remark,  in  the  course  of  the 
journey,  that  Sylveti  was  unusually  forbearing  and 
kind  to  his  mules.  He  was  very  attentive  to  their 
food,  either  he  or  his  brother  sleeping  every  night 
beside  them  to  see  that  they  received  their  barley 
regularly,  and  that  if  was  not  afterward  withdrawn. 
Their  furniture  was  strong,  in  good  repair,  and 
decked  with  even  more  than  the  usual  share  of 
bells  and  tassels;  they  never  kicked,  fell  down 
purposely,  or  dropped  their  load  from  its  being 
badly  fastened,  accidents  all  very  common  among 
vicious,  ill-bred  mules,  and  careless  muleteers. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed,  though 


42  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

at  first  beautiful  and   highly  cultivated,   became 
gradually  less  so  as  we  penetrated  farther  into 
the  region  of  the  Pyrenees.     The  mountains  were 
covered  with  trees  of  a  stunted  growth ;  and  the  soil 
and  climate  seemed  alike  unfriendly  to  vegetable 
and  animal  life.     There  were  two  or  three  villages 
and  isolated  farmhouses,  and  a  few  peasants  of  suf- 
ficiently miserable  appearance  were  circulating  be- 
tween them,  transporting  brushwood  or  charcoal  in 
small  carts  drawn  by  cows,  which  were  in  the  shape 
of  the  ancient  triumphal  cars,  and  made  entirely 
without  iron,  the  wheels  being  of  solid  plank.    After 
passing  through  this  dreary  country,  we  came  to 
the  pretty  valley  in  which  the  frontier  town  of  Anoa 
was  situated,  where  we  were  to  be  examined  by 
jthe  custom-house  officers,  and  exhibit  our  passports 
preparatory  to  leaving  France.     The  officer  gave 
me   the   consolatory   information   that  they  were 
fighting  just  across  the  border,  and  that  it  blew  so 
hard  in  the  pass  of  Orsundo  that  I  should  probably 
be  dismounted  by  the  force  of  the  wind. 

As  it  was  not  yet  twelve,  at  which  hour  the 
passage  opens  at  the  frontier,  we  halted  to  dine. 
Our  dinner,  which  was  again  meager,  inuch  to  the 
ire  of  Sylveti,  who  cursed  the  jubilee  from  the 
bottom  of  his  heart  and  stomach  also,  was  served 
by  a  little  girl  of  fifteen,  very  pretty  and  very  in- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  43 

dustrious,  who  moved  about  like  lightning,  frying 
omelets,  turning  out  soup,  or  peas,  or  salt  fish. 
She  seemed  already  accustomed  to  the  compli- 
ments which  the  muleteers  paid  her,-  and  turned 
them  off  very  gracefully.  Having  finished  our 
repast  we  got  in  motion,  taking  leave  of  little  Ma- 
rie, who  would  have  been  Maria  a  mile  further  on, 
and  who  insisted  upon  carrying  my  cloak  down, 
which  she  handed,  me  when  mounted  to  my  station 
on  the  mule's  back. 

As  we  passed  forward  to  the  frontier  we  met 
many,  custom-house  guards,  armed  with  carl^ine 
and  cartridge-box;  and,  when  near  the  stream,  we 
overtook  a  slatternly  border-woman,  either  French 
or  Spanish,  as  the  occasion  might  require.  She  had 
a  bottle  and  some  sous,  and  was  going  to  Spain 
to  buy  some  oil.  The  small  stream  which  here 
divides  the  two  kingdoms  is  traversed  by  a  wooden 
bridge;  we,  however,  forded  the  stream,  pausing 
in  the  centre  to  water  the  mules,- which  stood  for  a 
while  with  their  fore  feet  in  thieir  own  country  and 
their  hind  in  a  foreign  one.  There  was  a  party  of 
French  soldiers  on  the  very  verge  of  their  own 
frontier;  sent  to  take  leave  of  us  in  the  name  of  their 
country;  but  not  a  Spaniard  was  anywhere  to  be 
seen,  either  to  oppose  or  welcome  our  arrival;  an 


44  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

evidence  of  the  civil  war  and  anarchy  which  met 
us  at  the  very  threshold. 

The  first  sign  of  inhabitants  we  found  at  a  se- 
cluded building,  which  seemed  to  be  occupied  by 
charcoal-burners,  and  which,  doubtless,  served  also 
as  a  concealment  for  smugglers  When  the  govern- 
ment held  sway  here,  and  one  was  needed.  The 
people,  who  showed  themselves  at  the  door  as  vie 
passed,  were  dressed  like  the  inhabitants  of  Ustariz 
and  Anoa.  They  wore  jackets  and  trousers  of 
dark  cloth,  either  large  woollen  hats  or  low  flat 
caps  of  cloth  withput  front-piece,  precisely  like  the 
highland  bonnet,  their  hair  being  entirely  uncut, 
and  hanging  behind  in  a  profusion  of  curls.  The 
Spanish  cloak  is  replaced  in  Navarre  by  the  capu- 
say,  a  garment  of  coarse  black  cloth,  which  has  a 
hood,  and  is  put  on  like  a  shirt.  It  differs  only 
from  the  Moorish  haik  in  being  open  at  the  sides, 
'  which,  however,  are  confined  at  pleasure  by  a  leath- 
ern belt.  The  sleeves  are  also  partly  open  within, 
and  the  arms  are  either  thrust  through  them  or  they 
hang  freely. 

Soon  after  entering  Spain  we  left  the  beaten 
traek,  to  avoid  passing  through  the  town  of  Urdax, 
into  which,  as  we  had  already  heard,  the  Queen's 
troops  had  thrown  themselves  to  renew  the  recep- 
tion of  the  duties.     They  consisted  of  two  hundred 


SPAtN  REVISITED-.  45 

carbiniers  and  pislareen  men,  who,  descending  by 
the  valley  of  Roncesvalles,  had  surprised  and  taken 
possession  of  this  frontier  village.  Now  the  Car- 
lists,  who  had  held  the  place  for  some  time,  had 
abolished  all  the  existing  duties  and  prohibitions, 
substituting  the  general  charge  of  five  per  cent., 
and  trade  had  in  consequence  been  very  brisk. 
The  people  of  the  valley  of  Bastan,  to  which  this 
place  belongs,  were,  of  course,  not  at  all  pleased 
with  this  threatened  interference  with  .their  trade, 
and  act  of  presumption  on  the  part  of  the  Christi- 
nes; consequently  they  had  assembled,  as  we  had 
already  heard,  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred,  to 
besiege  the  intruders;  but  at  the  frontier  we  were 
told  that,  after  skirmishing  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
village  the  day  before,  they  had  returned  to  their 
homes.  ■       '  "■••*• 

Some  of  the  muleteers  seemed  more  apprehen- 
sive of  falHng  in  with  the  Christines  than  with  the 
Carlists  ;  partly  because  they  were  rather  of  the 
latter  opinion  themselves,  and  partly  because  they 
had  purchased  -their  cargoes  with  reference  to  the 
new  duties,  and  had,  indeed,  some  articles  that 
were  contraband,  which  would  not  only  be  forfeit- 
ed, but  would  subject  every  thing  else  that  they 
carried,  as  well  as  their  mules,  to  seizure,  and 
themselves  to  the  right  of  living  at  the  pubhc  ex- 


46  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

pense,  for  ten  years  or  more,  in  the  fortress  of 
Ceuta,  or  digging,  for  an  equal  period,  on  the  canal 
of  Castile. 

They  were,  of  course,  in  mortal  terror  of  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  carbiniers,  and  it  was  on  this 
account  that  we  took  a  sheep-path  to  the  left,  in 
order  to  avoid  passing  through  Urdax;  and  we  had 
not  proceeded  far  when  we  had  the  good  fortune 
to  fall  in  with  a  peasant  in  cap  and  capusay,  and 
armed  with  a  musket,  whom  Sylveti  at  once 
saluted  as  a  well-known  acquaintance.  He  was  a 
guardian  of  the  mountain,  one  of  a  class  of  men 
employed  by  the  villages  in  Navarre  to  patrol  the 
roads,  accompany  travellers,  and  protect  them  from 
robbers.  He  was  immediately  put  in  requisition 
to  accompany  us,  and  select  the  shortest  and  best 
path.  The  whole  party  moved  on  in  a  silence  and 
anxiety  not  to  be  dispelled  by  the  fumes  of  their 
pipes  and  paper  cigars,  which  they  kept  constantly 
in  action.  Sylveti  I  overheard  saying  to  himself, 
"  Is  it  not,  indeed,  a  hard  case  that  a  man  cannot 
journey  through  his  own  country  with  tranquillity 
' — es  muc'ho  que  no  puede  ir  une  en  su  propio  regno- 
con  tranquilidad?''^ 

As  we  approached  the  crest  of  the  mountain 
we  caught  sight  of  Urdax,  very  prettily  situated  in 
the  valley,  through  which  we  should  have  passed. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  47 

The  wind  now  became  very  furious ;  the  mules  ad- 
vanced reluctantly,  and  it  required  frequent  efforts 
of  strength  to  retain  one's  seat  as  the  blasts  swept 
by.  Presently,  as  we  toiled  on,  we  discovered  be- 
yond the  valley  a  band  of  armed  men  defiling  along 
the  mountain  opposite,  in  the  direction  of  the  vil- 
lage. There  was  a  party  of  horsemen  in  front, 
probably  the  chief  with  his  staff;  then  came  three 
or  four  hundred  foot  soldiers  with  muskets,  and  in 
the  rear  followed  a  long  train  of  laden  mules  and 
asses,  making  the  appearance  of  the  whole  group, 
as  it  wound  along  the  mountain,  highly  picturesque. 
Sylveti  immediately  commenced  congratulating 
himself  on  not  having  passed  through  the  town, 
which  would  have  brought  us  face  to  face  upon  this 
guerilla  party.  He  had  scarcely  finished,  how- 
ever, when  fifteen  or  twenty  fellows  suddenly  ap- 
peared above  the  crest  of  the  mountain  in  front  of 
us,  and,  levelling  their  pieces,  seemed  about  to  fire. 

They  were  not  long,  however,  in  discovering 
that  they  had  nothing  to  fear  from  us,  and,  quickly 
changing  their  hostile  attitude,  they  came  towards 
us,  saluting  Sylveti  and  his  brother,  and  the  guar- 
dian, all  of  whom  they  knew.  They  said  they 
had  taken  us  for  the  Queen's  cavalry,  and  seemed 
rather  glad  to  be  mistaken.  ,       ',  ■' 

They  were   armed  with  English  muskets  and 


48  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

bayonets,  the  cartridge-box  being  belted  round  the 
body  after  the  fashion  of  th6  country,  and  were  all 
young,  some  mere  boys  of  sixteen,  who,  being  clad 
in  the  ordinary  dress  of  the  country,  kept  up  the 
idea  of  their  being  members  of  society — brothers, 
sons,  or  husbands,  just  from  the  bosom  of  their 
families,  instead  of  professional  soldiers,  estranged 
by  long  absence  from  their  homes,  not  likely  to  be 
very  useful  or  agreeable  if  they  returned  thither,  or 
much  mourned  if  they  did  not. 

The  idea  that  some  of  these  youths  would  cer- 
tainly fall  by  the  hand  of  violence  before  the  dav 
was  up,  leaving  a  blank  in  many  a  domestic  circle 
which  nothing  could  fill,  and  of  the  misfortune  that 
the  struggle  must  inevitably  bring  upon  the  pretty 
village  which  nestled  so  peacefully  in  the  vale  be- 
low, gave  rise  to  no  very  pleasant  reflections  in  my 
mind,  and.  no  very  charitable  feelings  towards  the 
ministers  of  a  merciful  religion,  who  had  mainly 
contributed  to  excite  this  civil  war,  with  a  view 
to  pfop  their  tottering  estate.  These  young  men 
seemed  to  have  a  peculiar  animosity  against  the 
volunteers,  who  were  their  own  countrymen ;  they 
boasted,  in  the  most  bloodthirsty  manner,  of  what 
they  woulddo  to  them :  by  their  account  the  pis- 
tareen  men  were  likely  to  fare  no  better  than  Ro- 
land and  the  twelve  peers  of  France,  who  were  all 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  49 

slain  in  the  neighbouring  valley  of  Roncesvalles, 
whence  the  Christinos  had  so  unwittingly  ventured. 
The  nearer  we  approached  the  pass  of  Orsundo, 
the  harder  it  blew.  I  thought  my  eyes  would  be 
put  out ;  and  I  readily  credited  the  stories  that  Syl- 
veti  afterward  told  me  of  travellers  overtaken  there 
by  snow,  losing  their  eyesight,  wandering  from  the 
road,  and  perishing  miserably  from  cold.  As  soon 
as  the  descent  commenced  we  alighted,  the  road  be- 
ing rough,  and  very  precipitous.  When  part  of  the 
way  down  the  mountain  we  encountered  a  second 
party  of  Carlists,  who  were  convoying  a  long  train 
of  mules,  of  which  some  were  groaning  under  the 
weight  of  panniers,  filled  with  meat,  bread,  roasted 
kids,  and  bacon,  while  others  had  huge  wine-skins 
lashed  upon  their  backs,  goats  arisen  from  the  dead 
to  a  nobler  and  improved  existence,  into  whose 
shell  the  soul  of  Bacchus  had  transfused  itself; 
and  thus  the  jolly  god,  metamorphosed  into  the 
form  of  a  goat — no  unfit  emblem  of  monkish  purity 
— assisted  to  fortify  the  stomachs  and  inflame  the 
courage  of  the  defenders  of  their  favourite  throne 
and  altar.  •  :      • 

These  supplies  were  furnished  by  requisition 
upon  the  neighbouring  towns,  which  contributed  in 
kind,  each  man  according  to  his   means.      The 

party  was  under  the  command    of  a  fellow    who 
VOL.  I. — c        "  5 


50  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

acted  as  commissary,  a  genuine  specimen  o(  a 
Spaniard  of  the  class  of  men  that  grow  up  about 
the  government,  and  are  debased  by  its  vile  system 
and  humiliating  functions.  He  was  a  small,  puny 
creature,  with  a  thin  face,  a  sallow  skin,  and  up- 
turned nose,  on  either  side  of  which  twinkled  a 
muddy  little  eye,  the  white  and  black  being,  by 
much  smoking,  so  mixed  up  as  to  be  no  longer 
distinguishable  from  each  other.  He  had  on  a  cap 
with  a  long  front-piece,  which  diminished,  by  the 
effect  of  contrast,  his  already  mean  features;  a 
uniform  coat  with  a  tarnished  epaulet,  which  hung 
loosely  forward  into  notice,  over  which  he  wore 
a  coarse  jacket,  which  left  visible  the  tails  em- 
broidered with  the  Bourbon  lilies.  ~  As  we  ap- 
proached, he  marshalled  his  men,  giving  orders  to 
prevent  our  mules  coming  in  contact  in  the  narrow 
pass,  and  being  pushed  into  the  precipice  which 
yawned  beside  our  path,  speaking  with  great  au- 
thority, and  apparently  delighted  to  have  an  office, 
.  On  descending  into  the  next  valley,  we  found  the 
Streams  which  had  hitherto  taken  a  northern  direc- 
tion to  empty  into  the  Adour,  now  flowing  in  the 
opposite  one  to  swell  the  Bidasoa.  The  country 
seemed  well  watered,  and  we  passed  many  trees 
of  enormous  growth  and  great  age ;  almost  the  first 
we  met  was  a  huge  chestnut,  split  into  two  parts, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  51 

which  grew  opposite  each  other,  having,  in  a  fan- 
tastic and  remarkable  degree,  the  air  and  attitude 
of  two  stout  wrestlers  about  to  grapple  in  deadly- 
struggle,  and  seeming  to  be  placed  there  as  if  to 
furnish  the  stranger  a  lit  emblem  of  unhappy  Spain, 
superannuated,  rotten  at  the  core,  utterly  ruined, 
yet  divided  against  herself,  and  using  her  little 
remaining  vitality  to  consummate  its  own  annihi- 
lation. 

The  Bidasoa,  which  we  presently  crossed,  was 
much  swollen  by  the  .late  rains.  There  was  a 
great  pleasure  in  reaching  its  valley  after  our  ride 
over  the  mountain  pass,  it  seemed  so  sheltered, 
snug,  and  warm ;  the  country,  too,  was  very  beau- 
tiful, the  low  grounds  profusely  watered,  and  the 
mountains  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
chestnut,  oak,  and  beech  trees,  of  noble  size.  On 
entering  the  town  of  Ariscum,  I  was  struck  with 
the  great  size  and  superior  construction  of  the 
houses,  compared  with  those  occupied  by  the  same 
classes  in  France.  They  were  often  built  of  hewn 
stone,  combining  neatness  and  durability,  and  had 
quite  a  Spanish  air,  having  grated  windows  with- 
out glass,  and  verandas  from  which  the  women 
looked  out,  being  attracted  by  the  clatter  of  our 
mules  in   the    silent    street,   which   was   entirely 

deserted,  the  men  from  this  and  the  neighbouring 

c  2 


52  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

villages  having  all  gone  to  the  siege  of  Urdax.  The 
women  inquired  if  we  knew  any  thing  of  the  result 
of  the  expedition,  and  seemed  in  great  anxiety. 

Night  was  now  approaching,  and  I  was  cold  and 
tired.  My  listless  condition  on  the  back  of  the 
mule,  without  exertion  of  any  sort,  and  yet  without 
care,  and  the  extreme  slowness  and  hopelessness 
of  our  progress,  quite  wore  my  patience  out. 
Every  village  we  came  to  seemed,  in  turn,  far 
enough  to  be  ours,  that  is,  the  one  where  we  were 
to  pass  the  night,  until  I  was  at  length  overjoyed 
to  participate  in  the  pleasure  with  which  my  gal- 
lego  pricked  his  ears,  and  announced,  by  an  abor- 
tive bray,  responded  along  the  whole  line,  that  we 
approached  our  goal.  Although  we  were  in  the 
street  of  Elvetea,  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish 
the  inn ;  it  was  only  seven  o'clock,  yet  there  was 
not  a  soul  to  be  seen,  nor  could  the  friendly  glim- 
mer of  a  light  be  distinguished  in  a  single  dwel- 
ling, the  silence  of  death  prevailing  everywhere. 
The  mules  presently  paused  before  what  seemed 
a  familiar  resting-place;  the  folding-doors  opened 
as  if  by  magic,  before  we  had  time  to  knock,  then 
closed  again,  and  were  securely  barred  when  all 
had  entered. 

Half  dead  with  fatigue,  cold,  and  the  exhausting 
effects  of  the  high  wind,  I  stumbled  towards  the 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  53 

kitchen.  It  was  a  genuine  Spanish  one,  with  a 
huge  patriarchal  chimney  heaped  with  brushwood, 
round  which  was  clustered  a  characteristic  group, 
upon  whose  grotesque  dress  and  strongly-marked 
countenances  the  red  light  from  the  chimney  fell 
glaringly.  There  were  three  generations  of  women, 
grandmother,  mother,  and  daughter,  all  busy  in  pre- 
paring our  supper :  for  it  seemed  that  we  had  been 
expected.  The  mother  and  grandmother  had 
nothing  remarkable  in  their  appearance,  but  the 
daughter  was  a  tall,  graceful  girl,  with  good  teeth, 
a  rich,  brown  complexion,  large,  full-orbed,  black 
eyes,  placed  very  far  apart,  and  a  fine  head  of  hair 
combed  backwards,  and  which  would  haVe  reached 
the  ground  had  it  not  been  plaited.  She  was  very 
attentive  and  active;  but  she  did  not  scold  her 
mother  like  the  girl  at  Ustariz,  and  the  rapidity 
with  which  she  executed  her  duties  was  mingled 
with  an  occasional  air  of  quiet  repose,  of  sadness, 
or  of  abstraction  :  smiles  and  melancholy  succeeded 
each  other,  in  the  expression  of  her  countenance, 
like  the  passing  alternations  of  sunshine  and  clouds. 
Our  supper  to-night  was  not  meager.  It  com- 
menced with  a  salad,  then  came  lentils  and  greens, 
then  boiled  eggs,  salt  fish,  mutton  stewed  with  oil, 
saffron,  and  pimenta;  lastly,  roasted  kid,  followed 

by  the  usual  finale  of  apples,  nuts,  and  dry  grapes. 

5* 


54  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

The  conversation  was  chiefly  pohtical,  and  very 
characteristic.  They  seemed  to  be  all  Carlists, 
and  amused  themselves  with  one  of  the  muleteers, 
whom  they  made  their  butt,  accusing  him  of  being, 
like  all  his  townsmen,  a  negro  or  liberal.  They 
ridiculed  each  other's  towns,  relating  a  collection 
of  stories  as  old  as  the  hills  about  them,  and  re- 
peating, as  usual,  disparaging  proverbs  and  coup- 
lets. The  entertainment  concluded  by  producing 
the  passports  to  sign.  In  isolated  inns,  the  land- 
lord is  required  to  take  note  of  his  guests,  and 
sign  their  passports,  but  in  villages  it  must  be  done 
by  the  alcalde.  By  a  singular  incongruity,  the 
government  authorities  require  travellers  to  have 
their  passports  signed,  even  there  where  their 
authority  is  not  recognised^ 

On  this  occasion,  however,  the  alcalde  was  not 
at  hand  to  attend  to  the  duty,  being  actively  em- 
ployed in  the  Carlist  army,  at  the  head  of  one  of 
the  bands.  This,  however,  occasioned  no  incon- 
venience. "  How  do  you  call  him  ?"  said  Sylveti, 
seizing  the  pen  and  writing,  in  a  very  crabbed 
hand,  the  customary  superscription  of  the  place, 
date,  and  contemplated  departure.  The  rest  fol- 
lowed his  example ;  and  the  thing  was  done  so 
much  as  a  matter  of  course,  as  to  show  that  these 
people  have  little  idea  of  the  value  or  possible  con- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  55 

sequences  of  forgery.  Half  the  dishonesty,  how- 
ever, in  the  world,  and  more  than  half,  is  produced 
by  the  unnecessary  interference  and  action  of 
vicious  and  oppressive  governments.  Now,  too, 
Sylveti  paid  the  duties  for  the  Carlist  custom- 
house, receiving  a  printed  receipt. 

My  chamber  was  very  large,  having  in  one  cor- 
ner of  it  a  clean  and  comfortable  bed,  in  which, 
when  AiUonia  had  duly  heated  it  with  a  warming- 
pan,  I  hastened  to  stretch  myself.  I  did  not,  how- 
ever, pass  a  good  night,  for  the  floor  and  partitions 
of  the  room  were  made  of  clumsy  planks,  very 
rudely  put  together;  glimmerings  of  light  were 
constantly  seen  piercing  through  from  the  stable 
or  adjoining  hall,  shining  like  stars  in  the  general 
gloom;  for  the  same  reason  all  the  noises  made  m 
the  house  not  only  reached  me,  but  actually  seemed 
to  be  in  the  room.  I  several  times  awoke  and 
answered  aloud  to  voices  that  seemed  to  be  ad- 
dressing me.  The  mules  just  below  me,  too,  kept 
up  a  constant  munching  and  jingling  of  their  bells, 
and  often  stopped  to  caper,  making  eccentric  noises, 
as  if  communing  with  each  other,  and  apparently 
executing  clumsy  practical  jokes  for  their  own 
amusement.  ■     .  -    * 


66  SPAIN  REVISITED. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

PYRENEES   AND   PAMPLONA. 

Matins  in  Elvetea — Elizondo — Vale  of  Bastan — Vengeance  on  a 
Mule — Pass  of  Velate — Story  of  Brigands — Descent  from  the 
Mountains — Lanz — Homestead  of  Sylveti — Domestic  Scenes — 
Valley  of  the  Arga — Billaba — Sight  of  Pamplona — Enter  the  For- 
tress. 

t 

The  tolling  of  the  matin-bell,  from  the  church- 
tower  of  Elvetea,  avi'oke  me  the  next  morning  at 
break  of  day ;  and,  on  repairing  to  the  kitchen,  I 
found  Antonia  in  earnest  conversation  with  a 
bearded  Carlino,  who  was  leaning  on  his  musket, 
a  naked  bayonet  being  thrust  through  his  belt  for 
want  of  sheath.  He  seemed  to  have  journeyed 
far,  and  passed  a  sleepless  night,  and  was  relating 
something  in  a  very  earnest  tone,  to  which  she 
listened  with  deep  interest,  her  right  hand  being 
pressed  to  her  brow  thoughtfully.  Perhaps  it  was 
her  lover;  perhaps  it  was  only  one  who  had  lately 
seen  him.  Presently  he  disappeared ;  she  sighed 
faintly,  smoothed  her  brow  as  she  withdrew  her 
hand,  and  returned  with  recovered  tranquillity  to 
her  accustomed  occupations.  What  a  blessing  to 
woman  are  the  daily  duties  and  lesser  cares  of 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  57 

life !     What  a  defence  against  temptation  and  evil 
thoughts !     What  an  aid  in  resisting  affliction ! 

When  the  young  vv^oman  had  given  me  my  choc- 
olate, she  opened  a  large  chest  containing  silver 
spoons,  napkins,  and  the  household  valuables ;  took 
off  her  shoes,  and  commenced  cleaning  them  with 
a  rag  and  a  httle  oil  from  the  lamp;  drew^  on  a  pair 
of  blue  stockings  with  vvhite  clocks,  such  as  are 
worn  by  the  Manolas ;  added  her  mantilla,  which 
fell  gracefully  over  head  and  shoulder;  seized  her 
fan,  and  instinctively  gave  it  a  preliminary  flourish ; 
then,  followed  duenna-like  by  her  grandmother, 
with  stooping  body,  tottering  gait,  in  one  hand  the 
staff,  in  the  other  the  beads  and  rosary,  she  sailed 
gracefully  away,  with  short,  well-studied  steps,  and 
a  compound  harmonious  movement  of  the  whole 
body.     As  she  was  passing  out  of  the  door  she 
turned  her  head,  bringing  one  eye  in  sight,  and 
beckoned  me  a  last  adieu  with  her  fan.     I  could 
not  help  putting  forth  a  wish  that  her  lover  might 
return  from  the  wars,  that  he  might  never  prove 
false,  and  that  Fortune  might  forego  her  rule  in 
favour  of  one  so  amiable,  and  cease  for  once  to  be 
fickle.  .  .  .  • 

As  I  descended  to  the  stable  they  were  engaged 

in  lading  a  mule.     His  head  was  tied  up  high;  the 

bales  that  were  to  go  on  either  side  were  duly 

c  3 


58  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

poised,  to  see  that  they  would  balance  each  other; 
and  then,  being  slung  over  the  back,  were  there 
stoutly  lashed  and  tightened  by  means  of  a  wooden 
heaver.  How  the  poor  mule  groaned  in  spirit  as 
this  process  of  compression  was  applied  to  him, 
and  how  he  vainly  endeavoured,  by  distending  his 
belly,  to  deceive  the  muleteers,  and  persuade 
them  that  the  hempen  bandage  was  already  tight ! 
Erelong  they  were  all  laden,  the  string  was  formed 
and  set  in  motion,  whilp  I  walked  in  advance  with 
Jthe  younger  Sylveti.-,,       .         .    .  , 

The  whole  town  was  in  the  street,  going  to  or 
coming  from  mass,  and  I  noticed  that  the  wooden 
shoe  had  disappeared  already  at  this  short  distance 
from  the  frontier.  Many  of  the  poorer  classes, 
though  otherwise  comfortably  dressed,  were  with- 
out stockings;  but,  notwithstanding,  there  was  a 
very  general  air  of  comfort  and  competency.  As 
we  drew  nigh  the  village  church,  its  approaches 
were  all  thronged ;  which,  though  an  ordinary,  was 
an  interesting  spectacle.  Religion  in  Navarre  is 
at  once  a  universal  want  and  a  great  spring  of 
action;  at  the  bidding  of  its  ministers,  the  Navar- 
rese  have  three  times  flown  to  arms  in  the  present 
century. 

Beyond  the  church,  the  street  was  flanked  on 
either  side  by  arcades,  which  formed  a  species  of 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  59 

market-place  and  point  of  reunion,  where  the  vil- 
lage gossip  might  be  retailed  under  cover  from  the 
weather.     Beside  one  of  the  pillars  sat  a  young 
girl  with  a  basket   before  her,  selling  chestnuts. 
As  I  passed  in  front  she  eyed  me  attentively,  and 
then  said  to  a  companion  near  her,  "  This  must  be 
a  liberal — ese  sera  un  liberal^     Dirty  and  way- 
worn as  I  looked  to  myself,  I  seemed  elegant  to 
her;  and  the  round  hat,  the  gloves,  the  blue  cloak 
instead  of  a  brown  one,  all  conveyed  the  detested 
idea  of  a  liberal.    This  bad  pleasantry  of  the  young 
woman  was  not  at  all  to  ray  fancy,  as  it  might 
have  raised  a  hue  and  cry  after  roe,  and  sent  me 
out  of  the  village,  hotly  pursued  by  dogs  and  Car- 
hsts.  * 

At  a  very  short  distance  from  Elvetea  we  came 
to  the  village  of  Elizondo,  a  very  pretty  place,  de- 
lightfully situated  in  the  valley  of  Bastan.  The 
houses  stand  with  the  gables  towards  this  street, 
the  fronts  being  of  hewn  stone,  with  balconies  and 
arched  doorways,  over  which  are  not  unfrequently 
armorial  bearings,  proclaiming  the  noble  blood  of 
the  inmates — shields  displaying  warriors'  casques, 
and  misshapen  images  of  bears  and  wolves.  The 
house  of  the  curate,  which  I  recognised  by  seeing 
him  in  the  balcony,  was  particularly  spacious  and 
massive:  it  stood  on  the  square;  hard  by  was  the 


60  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

house  of  the  alcalde,  who,  though  a  nobleman  and 
very  rich,  having  much  to  lose,  and  being,  more- 
over, advanced  in  life,  was  then  making  war  at  the 
head  of  a  guerilla  band. 

This  rich  valley  of  Bastan  produces  abundance 
of  wheat,  maize,  and  hemp,  and  has  extensive  or- 
chards of  apple,  chestnut,  and  other  fruit-trees. 
The  greater  part  of  it  is,  however,  in  pasture-land, 
the  inhabitants  leading  a  pastoral  life,  and  subsist- 
ing upon  the  produce  of  their  flocks,  or  by  the 
wandering  profession  of  the  muleteer.  The  tim- 
ber of  the  neighbouring  mountains  furnishes  also  a 
productive  source  of  revenue. 
.•  The  Bastanese  are  a  very  temperate,  frugal,  and 
laborious  race,  quite  simple  and  patriarchal  in  their 
customs  and  mode  of  life,  enjoying  great  political 
privileges,  for  which  they  cherish  an  unshaken 
attachment,  and  living  under  a  municipal  form  of 
government,  which  is  essentially  democratic.  The 
dread  of  losing  these  privileges  by  the  equalising 
schemes  of  the  constitution,  and  not  any  love  of 
despotism,  aids  the  influence  of  the  clergy  in  main- 
taining the  insurrection.  It  is  in  Elizondo,  as  cap- 
ital of  the  Bastan,  that  exists  the  provisional  junta 
of  government,  directed  entirely  by  the  clergy, 
which  issues  orders  and  receives  reports  in  the 
name  of  Charles  V.     Many  bloody  battles  have, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  61 

since  my  visit,  been  fought  in  and  about  this  pretty- 
village,  between  Lorenzo  and  Zumalacaregui,  and 
its  inhabitants  have  no  doubt  tasted  all  the  horrors 
of  civil  wslt. 

Towards  noon  we  halted  in  the  elevated  town 
of  Almandoz,  to  dine.  Here  I  saw  the  first  pair  of 
breeches  I  had  encountered  in  Spain :  they  were 
on  the  person  of  the  innkeeper,  who  wore  also 
blue  stockings  and  a  hide  sandal,  with  a  stout  -cord 
wound  round  his  legs.  He  was  a  solemn-looking 
old  gentleman,  with  a  very  grave  expression  of 
CQunt'enance ;  not  the  less  so,  perhaps,  at  that  mo- 
ment, because  his  only  son  was  gone  to  the  siege 
of  Urdax.  Our  dinner  was  not  good,  and  I  was 
without  appetite,  so  I  left  Sylveti  to  finish  it  alone, 
and  joined  the  group  about  the  fire  in  the  kitchen, 
which  had  no  chimney,  the  smoke  escaping  as  best 
it  might  through  a  hole  in  the  centre  of  the  roof. 

There  were  several  of  the  town's  people  there, 
and  the  old  landlord;  there  was  also  a  young  Car-, 
lino,  with  musket  and  bayonet,  who  was  relating 
something  in  Basque  which  seemed  greatly  to.  in- 
terest them.  The  story  was  suddenly  interrupted 
by  the  village  bell  striking  twelve,  succeeded  by  a 
slow  tolling.  It  was  a  signal  for  devotion.  They 
all  rose ;  the  young  man  quickly  recited  a  prayer, 
the  rest  responding  as  in  the  Litany,  and  all  occa- 


62  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

sionally  striking  their  breasts  in  concert.  When 
the  bell  ceased,  they  crossed  themselves,  sat 
down,  and  the  Carlino  gravely  continued  his  narra- 
tion. 

•On  renewing  our  journey  the  road  continued  to 
ascend  towards  the  famous  pass  of  Velate,  and  we 
soon  found  ourselves  in  utter  solitude,  Sylveti  and 
1  being  entirely  alone,  his  brother  having  gone  on 
with  the  mules  in  advance  of  us.  I  now  noticed 
that  my  umbrella,  fastened  to  the  load  of  his  mule, 
was  broken,  and  told  him  so;  he  said  it  was  im- 
possible :  yet  got  down,  examined  it,  and  saw  that 
it  was  even' so,  and  that  the  mule  had  been  lying 
down.  He  looked  perfectly  blank,  and  said  not  a 
word  for  the  space  of  a  minute ;  at  the  expiration 
of  which  he  seized  a  huge  stone,  and,  discharging 
it  full  against  the  scull  of  the  offending  animal,  he 
broke  forth  with  the  exclamation,  "  By  the  life  of 
the  devil — por  vida  del  demonio .'"  expressed  with 
terrible  energy.  I  never  heard  such  a  tempest  of 
fearful  curses,  or  saw  such  a  shower  of  thick-falling 
stones,  as  were  directed  against  the  face  and  eyes 
of  the  poor  animal,  which  his  left  hand  tightly  held 
and  prevented  from  escaping. 

It  was  quite  appalling  to  see  this  desert  mountain, 
this  untenanted  solitude,  thus  disturbed  on  so  friv- 
olous an  occasion  by  the  impotent  wrath  of  man. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  63 

Yet  this  exhibition  was  so  thoroughly  characteris- 
tic and  Spanish,  that,  finding  there  was  no  use  in 
interfering  to  save  the  beast,  I  was  content  to  be  a 
spectator  of  it.     Even  when  Sylveti  again  mount- 
ed, he  continued  for  several  miles  to  lacerate  the 
animal's  mouth  by  jerking  at  the  heavy  bit,  and  to 
beat  it  unmercifully.  YetSylveti  was  usually  very 
calm  and  composed ;  he  would  not,  however,  have 
been  a  Spaniard,  if  not  occasionally  subject  to 
ungovernable  fits  of  passion.     His  vexation  at  this 
trifling  occurrence  shows,  too,  the  sort  of  interest 
that  a  Spanish  muleteer  feels  in  the  person  and 
property  of  an  individual  committed  to  his  care.    ■ 
The  mountains  were  lofty  and  bold,  cut  with 
deep  chasms  by  the   torrents;   their  sides   were 
everywhere  clothed  with  trees  of  enormous  growth 
— chestnut  or  beech  of  great  height,  very  straight, 
and   covered  with  moss;   habitations  there   were 
none,  except  the  occasional  hut  of  a  shepherd  or 
goatherd,  having  beside  it  an  enclosure  to  protect 
the  flock  against  the  ravages  of  the  wolves.     I  was 
pleased  with  a  pastoral  scene,  such  as  I  had  read 
of  in  Florian  or  Cervantes,  which  we  here  saw, 
being  a  young  shepherd  and  shepherdess  seated 
together  on  a  bank,  and  apparently  quite  as  much 
taken  up  with  each  other  as  with  watching  their 


64  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

flocks,  which  were  browsing  hard  by,  guarded  and 
kept  together  by  two  wild,  gaunt  dogs. 

As  we  approached  the  pass  of  Velate,  the  trees 
became  more  and  more  dwarfed,  and  at  length  dis- 
appeared altogether,  until  the  rocky  heads  of  the 
mountains  reared  themselves  naked,  bare,  and  des- 
olate. Hitherto  it  had  been  calm  and  mild,  but 
now  it  became  cold,  and  blew  furiously;  to  make 
matters  worse,  it  commenced  raining,  and  soon  af- 
terward to  hail,  forming,  with  the  exception  of  the 
lightning,  a  repetition  of  the  scene  on  the  first  day 
of  our  journey.  From  the  top  of  the  pass,  a  rough 
road,  strown  with  loose  stones,  over  which  we 
were  obliged  to  descend  on  foot,  conducted  us, 
with  many  windings,  to  the  bottom  of  a  ravine,  in 
which  stood  a  solitary,  half-ruined  venta,  where 
we  paused  to  warm  ourselves  and  take  a  little 
brandy.  , '         -  '       ■ 

After  a  long  descent  the  trees  and  vegetation  re- 
appeared, and  Sylveti,  who  had  partially  recovered 
his  equanimity,  showed  me,  in  passing,  a  tree  to 
\vhich  he  had  been  tied  many  years  before,  on  an 
ofccasion  when  he  was  robbed.  He  was  journeying 
with  a  comrade  towards  Bayonne,  when,  from  a 
thicket  which  he  pointed  out,  two  men,  having  their 
faces  blackened,  suddenly  appeared,  armed  with 
muskets,  which  they  aimed  at  them,  uttering  at  the 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  65 

same  time  the  accustomed  salutation — "  La  bolsa 
o  la  vida  /"  Sylveti's  companion,  not  understand- 
ing Spanish,  was  passing  on,  when  he  called  to 
him  in  Basque  to  halt.  They  were  made  to  alight, 
place  themselves  against  separate  trees,  and  were 
there  bound  with  ropes  brought  for  the  purpose. 

Notwithstanding  the  disguise,  Sylveti  recog- 
nised one  of  their  faces  as  being  that  of  an  old  ac- 
quaintance. He  had  his  money  in  one  end  of  the 
sash  which  girded  his  loins.  As  the  man  whom  he 
did  not  know  was  removing  it,  he  begged  him  to 
take  the  money  but  leave  the  sash,  as  it  vv'as  neces- 
sary to  him  to  keep  his  trousers  up.  "  Not  so,  my 
brother,''  said  the  robber ;  "  I  will  take  the  sash  and 
money  also;  I  will  not  separate  good  companions." 
The  other,  who  had  known  Sylveti,  said,  "  Give  him 
the  sash."  He  still  refused,  when  the  man  told 
his  comrade  he  would  blow  his  brains  out  if  he  did 
not  comply.  He  then  left  the  sash  and  half  a  dol- 
lar in  it,  according  to  his  comrade's  order,  who,  in 
going  away,  told  them  not  to  speak  of  what  had 
happened,  at  the  peril  of  their  lives  ;  adding,  "  And 
do  thou  not  say  that  we  are  bad  men,  since  we 
have  left  thee  the  sash  and  half  a  dollar  in  it,  to 
buy  thee  a  drop  of  comfort — y  no  digais  que  so?nos 
malos  homhres,  pues  te  hemos  dejado  la  fajci  y  me- 
dio duro  para  echar  el  tragoP      .    ..,•  •  '•( 


6* 


66  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

Robbers  always  speak  in  the  second  person, 
using  the  "  thou"  as  to  inferiors.  Notwithstanding 
the  ominous  warning  with  which  they  took  leave, 
and  their  enforcing  the  duties  of  gratitude,  Sylveti 
and  his  comrade  gave  the  alarm  as  soon  as  they 
could  extricate  themselves  and  reach  the  nearest 
town.  The  guardians  of  the  woods  immediately 
mustered  and  went  in  pursuit ;  and  one  of  the  rob- 
bers being  shot  in  the  foot,  was  overtaken  and  put 
to  death.  The  other  two  were  taken  alive  soon 
after,  and  carried  to  Pamplona,  then  in  possession 
of  the  French,  where  they  were  executed. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  day  we  had  gained  the 
valley  of  the  river  Arga,  the  basin  of  which  was  of 
trifling  width,  having  a  very  small  tract  of  alluvial 
land  on  either  side,  which  w^as  highly  cultivated. 
The  mountains  which  enclosed  it  were  covered 
with  trees;  and  the  naked  ridges  of  others,  more 
lofty,  occasionally,  pushed  themselves  into  view 
beyond,  while  still  further  in  the  distance  west- 
ward were  seen  the  loftier  peaks  of  Biscay  and 
Espinosa,  mantled  with  snow.  The  villages  now 
became  more  frequent,  and  from  time  to  time  Syl- 
veti left  the  caravan,  as  he  had  done  the  day  be-; 
fore,  to  diverge  on  either  side  for  the  transaction 
of  business,  the  delivery  of  letters,  and  the  receipt 
or  payment  of  moneys.    In  the  village  of  Lanz,  as 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  67 

we  passed,  all  the  young  women  seemed  collected  in 
one  house,  whence  they  were  kind  enough  to  cast 
glances  of  commiseration  towards  me,  sitting 
huddled  up  as  I  was  on  the  mule's  back,  envel- 
oped in  a  wet.  cloak,  which  was  a  source  of  very 
little  consolation  to  me,  and  shivering  with  cold 
and  discomfort.  '. 

In  the  outskirts  of  Lanz  we  were  joined  by  a 
guardian,  who  was  to  accompany  us  to  the  extent 
of  his  range.  A  young  Carlist,  who  was  returning 
to  his  home,  also  joined  us  ;  and  the  two  furnished 
us  with  society  and  protection.  The  night  had 
now  set  in  ;  the  sky  became  clfiar ;  tho  stars  gradu- 
ally shining  out,  to  give -promise  of  fine  weather 
for  the  morrow.  In  the  road  before  us  a  number 
of  brilliant  lights  were  seen  moving  along  the  val- 
ley, which  proved  to  be  pine  torches,  borne  by 
people  who  were  passing  from  village  to  village, 
and  who  were  thus  enabled  to  pick  their  way  with 
dry  feet.  Pleased  with  the  companionship  of 
these  torches,  they  waved  and  brandished  them,  or 
struck  them  against  the  rocks  to  renew  the  flame, 
singing  plaintively,  as  they  went,  airs  which  had 
the  same  melancholy  turn  common  throughout 
Spain ;  but  at  the  same  time  had  more  , music  in 
them,  and  were  less  monotonous.  ■ 

The  village  in  which  Sylveti  lived,  for  we  were 


68  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

to  Stop  that  night  at  his  house,  was  a  very  small 
one,  which  he  had  probably  fixed  his  residence  in 
as  furnishing  a  good  point  for  contraband  trade,  since 
in  other  respects  it  niust  have  been  inconvenient, 
being  at  neither  one  extremity  or  the  other  of  his 
habitual  journeys  ;  so  that,  of  course,  he  could  pass 
very  little  time  at  home.  Leaving  the  direct  road 
to  Pamplona,  we  crossed  the  Arga  by  a  steep  anti- 
quated bridge,  and  making  a  second  turning  aside, 
the  mules  halted  before  the  portal  of  a  large  mas- 
sive building,  which  proved  to  be  the  stronghold  and 
castle  of  Sylveti.  The  stout  double  door  at  once 
flew  open  at  the  sound  of  our  bells,  and  a  young 
shepherd,  in  the  same  dress  as  his  flocks,  namely, 
in  a  jacket  and  trousers  of  sheepskin,  held  a  lamp  to 
receive  us,  while  a  huge.  Pyrenean  sheep-dog,  his 
companion,  bounded  forward  to  receive  and  caress 
the  younger  Sylveti,  while  the  mules  hastened  to 
enter  their  place  of  shelter  with  a  better  will  than 
they  had  evinced  on  any  occasion  since  the  com- 
mencement of  the  journey. 

On  looking  round  I  found  myself  on  the  ground- 
floor  of  a  large  building,  the  repository  of  an  exten- 
sive farm,  where  every  thing  was  nightly  assem- 
bled, for  the  security  which  is  to  be  found,  in 
lawless  countries,  within  stout  walls.  Here  every 
thing  had  its  allotted  place ;  at  one  side  was  a  pen 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  69 

for  the  flock  of  two  hundred  sheep,  of  which  Syl- 
veti  was  the  proprietor;  at  another  the  stalls  for  the 
mules ;  here  was  the  brushwood  to  burn  during  the 
winter,  and  there  a  large  pile  of  leaves  preserved 
for  compost;  while  immediately  beside  where  my 
mule  halted  stood  three  cows,  their  heads  protru- 
ding over  the  manger  to  take  note  of  our  arrival ; 
and  which,  in  connexion  with  the  figure  of  the 
skinclad   shepherd,  and   patriarchal   air   of  every 
thing  else  around  me,  most  strongly  brought  to  my 
mind  some  of  Murillo's  pictures  of  the  Nativity.     I 
might,  perhaps,  have  fancied  myself  one  of  the 
wise  men  newly  arrived,  were  it  not  for  my  double 
lack  of  wisdom  and  costly  treasure.     As  for  the 
representation  of  the  Virgin,  I  found  it  up  stairs  in 
the   person   of   Sylveti's   wife,   a  very  handsome 
woman,  whom  we  found  engaged  in  an  occupation 
dear,  doubtless,  to  Sylveti's  paternal  heart — name- 
ly, nursing  her  baby.  -    ..      ■    *  •.  ,    .      • 
Sylveti  had  preceded  us  and  changed  his  dress, 
and  was   now  attired  in  a  flannel  jacket,  black 
breeches  and  stockings,  and  had  altogether  the  air 
of  an  hidalgo  in  dishabille.     He  came  down  to  re- 
ceive me,  followed  by  all  his  little  ones ;  lifted  me, 
half  dead  with  cold  and  inanition,  from  my  mule, 
and  conducted  me  to  the  apartments  above.     The 
stair  opened  on  a  large  hall,  which  was  of  the  whole 


.J" 


70  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

extent  of  the  house,  and  which,  but  for  the  rough- 
ness and  inequahties  of  the  plank  floor,  would  have 
made  an  excellent  ball-room.  It  was  hung  round 
with  bunches  of  Indian  corn,  placed  at  equal  inter- 
vals, with  a  view  to  display  and  ornament.  At  the 
side  were  the  bedrooms,  a  workshop  filled  with 
every  useful  tool,  and  the  kitchen,  to  which  1  was 
glad  to  be  conducted,  where  there  was  a  crackling 
fire  to  welcome  us.    ■      . 

Sylveti's  wife  was  seated  beside  it,  with  an  infant 
in  her  arms,  while  her  mother  attended  to  the 
chymical  process  going  on  among  the  pots  and 
frying-pans.  The  room,  which  was  a  very  large 
one,  was  cut  off,  and  the  portion  towards  the  chim- 
ney isolated,  by  nrearis  of  a  huge  wooden  bench  or 
sofa,  with  a  tall  back  reaching  half  way  to  the  top 
of  the  room.  A  table  was  attached  to  it,  which 
could  be  lifted  or  let  dowu  at  pleasure.  While 
supper  was  preparing,  the  woman  offered  me  choc- 
olate. When  served  before  the  fire,  our  meal  con- 
sisted of  soup,  sallad,  eggs,  stewed  rabbit,  pigeons 
from  Sylveti's  own  dovecot,  and  the  usual  dessert. 
Every  thing  was  yery  nicely  served,  but  I  had  no 
appetite,  and  did  much  better  justice  to  the  bed  of 
state  which  was  prepared  and  warmed  for  me,  and 
where  I  passed  an  imdisturbed  night. 

On  rising  early  in  the  morning  I  found  the  fam- 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  71 

ily  assembled  around  the  kitchen  fire ;  the  children 
had  crawled  forth  at  this  unusual  hour,  with  their 
clothes  in  their  hands,  and  were  begging  to  be 
dressed.  Sylveti  was  performing  that  operation 
for  one  of  them  himself,  the  brother  and  the  shep- 
herd being  left  to  get  the  mules  ready.  Hardly 
had  he  finished  one  before  another  sued  for  the 
unusual  honour  of  being  dressed  by  his  father. 
The  clothes  of  the  children  were  neat  and  comfort- 
able, with  warm  stockings  and  shoes.  Every 
thing,  indeed,  about  the  establishment  indicated 
ease,  comfort,  and  rude  competency  ;  and  yet  all 
this  was  the  result  of  his  own  persevering  indus- 
try, o-f  the  confidence  inspired  by  his  honesty  and 
good  character,  and,  perhaps,  of  the  large  gains 
attendant  upon  successful  smuggling.  One  might 
be  disposed  to  envy  his  condition,  were  his  happi- 
ness less  frequently  interrupted,  and  procured  by 
less  privation.  He  does  not  sleep  more  than  two 
nights  each  week  in  his  own  house,  though  he  said 
he  intended  in  future  to  let  his  brother  go  occasion- 
ally alone  with  the  mules.  When  I  asked  how  much, 
he  paid  his  brother  for  his  services,  he  answered, 
*'  Nothing;  he  lives  and  fares  'as  I  do,  and  when 
he  gets  married  I  shall  give  him  his  dowry."  Such 
disinterestedness  and  confidence  are  not  always 
found  even  among  brothers,  and  are  an  eloquent 


72  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

eulogy  on  the  simple  virtues  of  the  mountaineers 
of  Navarre. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  young  shepherd  took 
my  mule  by  the  head  and  led  him  rather  reluctant- 
ly forth.     We  recrossed  the  bridge  and  gained  the 
road  to  Pamplona,  the  sheep-dog  trotting  in  ad- 
vance, until  he  discovered  that  the  young  man  had 
gone  back,  when  he  hastened  to  follow  the  exam- 
ple.    Sylveti  remained  behind,  prolonging  his  mo- 
ments of  domestic  enjoyment,  and  lingering  to  the 
latest  instant  among  his  household  gods.     There 
were  many  people  going  likewise  in  the  direction 
of  Pamplona;  those  who  were   on  foot  carrying 
pine  torches,  such  as  I  had  seen  the  night  before, 
to  enable  them  to  pick  their  way,  and  furnish  them 
with  amusement  and  company.     Sometimes  they 
grew  dim,  when  they  struck  them  against  the  rocks 
to  splinter  them,  and  fanned  them  in  the  air :  occa- 
sionally they  were  lost,  sight  of  at  the  turning  of 
the  road,  or  the  entrance  of  a  village ;  but  they 
always  appeared  again,  dancing  mysteriously  be- 
fore us,  the  figures  of  the  individuals  who  bore 
them   being   strongly   defined   to*  the  view.      At 
length  one  light  halted  till' we  came  up;  it  was 
held  by  a  woman,  who  was  looking  for  something 
she  had  lost;  she  was  accompanied  by  another 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  73 

mounted  on  a  mule  laden  with  panniers  filled  with 
vegetables. 

As  we  followed  the  valley  of  the  Arga,  the 

stream  gradually  grew  and  gathered  consequence 

by  the  accession  of  many  tributaries.     At  Billaba  it 

encounters  a  natural  dam,  where  it  enlarges  itself 

into  a  little  lake,  thence  falling  in  a  pretty  cascade 

over  a  ledge  of  rocks.     This  is  a  very  pretty  town, 

with  a  more  decidedly  Spanish  air  than  any  we  had 

yet  seen ;  the  inhabitants,  of  whom  we  found  many 

idling  their  time  in  the  square  and  at  the  corners, 

wore  large  flapped  hats  or  cloth  montero  caps ;  they 

moreover  smoked  paper  cigars  instead  of  pipes, 

wore  breeches  instead  of  trousers,  and  the  brown 

cloak  instead  of  the  black  capusay. 

We  found,  on  leaving  the  single  street  of  Billaba, 
that  the  valley  had  made  a  bend  which  brought  us  . ' 
in  full  view  of  the  town  and  fortress  of  Pamplona. 
It  was  situated  in  the  centre  of  a  .basin  called  the. 
Cuenca  or  bowl,  encircled  on  every  side  by  lofty 
mountains,  which  rise  in  an  amphitheatric  form,  the 
town,  which  is  of  small  extent,  being  perched  on  a 
small  elevated  esplanade  in  the  centre.  It  was  . 
everywhere  surrounded  by  batteries  with  flanking 
towers,  while  the  tall  roof  of  a  Gothic  cathedral, 
rising  grandly  above  and  overlooking  all  other  ob- 
jects, typified  the  undisputed  sway  of  the  religion, 

VOL.  I. — D  7 


74  SPAIN.  REVISITED. 

in  whose  honour  it  was  raised,  over  the  minds  and 
actions  of  its  votaries.  It  was  clear  and  calm,  and 
every  object  which  the  eye  embraced  was  nicely 
and  palpably  defined:  the  town,  with  its  jagged 
outline  of  towers  and  roofs;  the  caravans  of  mules; 
the  horsemen  and  humbler  pedestrians  that  dotted 
the  intermediate  road  ;  the  distant  mountains,  loo, 
every  rock  and  fissure  of  which  was  distinctly 
revealed;  while  the  irregular  and  broken  outline 
was  traced  against  the  background  of  the  blue  and 
vaulted  heavens,  with  a  distinctness  and  nearness 
which  brought  them,  in  imagination,  almost  within 
reach  of  one's  hand.  The  sun  shone  mildly  forth ; 
not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring ;  the  smoke  of  the 
economical  inhabitants  of  Pamplona  rose  perpen- 
dicularly in' tiny  and  starveling  threads  from  every 
separate  roof;  while  a  few  wandering,  homeless 
clouds,  caught  by  their  own  fleecy  toils  on  the 
snow-covered  summits  of  the  more  elevated  moun- 
tains, lingered  irresolutely,  as  if  unwilling  to  dis- 
turb the  universal  repose.  A  quiet  and  poetic 
stillness,  a  delicious  indolence,  characteristic  at 
once  of  the  climate  and  of  the  inhabitants,  hovered 
over  and  hallowed  the  scene,  and  announced  that 
-the  sunny  land  of  Spain  lay  wide  before  me. 

Man  and  beast  seemed  sensible  to  the  soothing 
influence  of  the  scene  and  the  weather ;  the  mules 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  75 

and  asses  moved  slowly  and  sluggishly  onward; 
the  muleteers,  silting  sidewise,  seemed  lost  in  the 
dreamy  musings  which  tobacco  generates,  or  trolled 
forth  a  melancholy  ditty  of  unhappy  love ;  the 
peasant,  engaged  in  breaking  up  the  soil  with  a 
pitchfork,  stood  with  one  foot  resting  on  the  imple- 
ment, turning  to  take  note  of  the  passing  traveller, 
and  bid  him  go  with  God  and  in  a  happy  hour. , 
The  influences  of  the  weather,  though  unfavour- 
able to  labour,  seemed  not  unfriendly  to  love. 
There  was  a  young  girl  who  had  left  Billaba  on 
foot,  and  kept  on  before  us.  Hers  was  the  first 
mantilla  I  had  seen  since  our  arrival  in  Spain. 
She  wore  it  not  ungracefully,  flourished  her  fan 
with  an  accustomed  ease,  and  went  forward  with 
a  winding  and  meandering  movement,  not  wholly 
unlike  the  Andalusian  meneo.        •  .      •  . 

I  had  become  very  impatient  of  the  slow  pace 
of  the  mules,  which  prevented  me  from  overtaking 
the  fair  pedestrian,  and  seeing  how  far  so  agreeable 
a  back  view  might  harmonize  with  the  front.  I 
had  kicked  and  coa"xed  to  no  purpose,  when  at 
length  Cupid  came  to  my  aid,  inducing  the  young 
lady  to  pause  by  the  wayside  to  hold  converse 
with  a  peasant  who  laboured  in  the  neighbouring 
field.  Many  courteous  salutations  passed,  and  I 
was  delighted  at  .the  grace  with  which  she  beckon- 

D   2 


76  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

ed  with  her  fan,  held  her  head  on  one  side,  bal- 
anced her  body  with  a  swimming  movement,  point- 
ed her  tiny  foot,  and  played  off  a  whole  volley  of 
love-dipped  arrows.  I  had  begun  to  fancy  her  an 
object  replete  with  grace  and  attraction ;  but  my 
imagination  was  not  suffered  long  to  indulge  in  its 
pleasing  creations  ;  for,  when  we  came  beside  her, 
and  she  turned  to  look  at  us,  I  was  shocked  to  dis- 
cover a  face  not  only  seamed  and  scarred  by  the 
inexorable  smallpox,  but  blessed  with  but  a  single 
eye. 

Meanwhile  we  approached  the  bridge  over  the 
Arga,  which  stream  half  encircles  the  platform  on 
which  Pamplona  stands,  pausing  a  moment  on  the 
bank  to  water  the  mules.  The  river  was  a  good 
deal  swollen,  and  that  same  day  a  young  girl  of 
fifteen,  who  had  imprudently  undertaken  to  wade" 
.  her  horse  across,  had  become  agitated,  lost  her 
hold  of  the  animal,  been  washed  away,  and  drowned. 
Along  the  bank  of  the  stream,  which  we  followed 
to  reach  the  approaches  of  the  gate,  were  many 
noisy  washerwomen  on  their  knees  in  wooden 
boxes,  their  garments  snugly  gathered  up,  beating 
their  clothes  unmercifully,  singing  monotonously 
in  long-drawn  nasal  tones,  gossiping  with  each 
other,  or  flinging  back  the  unmeasured  jests  or 
sturdy  compliments  of  the  soldiers  and  other  idlers 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  77 

in  threadbare  cloaks  that  lounged  lazily  behind 
them. 

These  were  the  first  of  the  Queen's  troops  we 
had  seen  since  our  entry  into  Spain ;  our  muleteers, 
however,  had  prepared  themselves  for  an  accom- 
modation to  the  opposite  political  opinion,  and  had 
ceased  to  be  Carhsts  as  we  arrived  in  sight  of  the 
fortress  of  Pamplona,  As  we  reached  the  first 
angle  in  ascending  to  the  gate,  a  blind  beggar  put 
up,  in  good  Spanish,  a  supplication  for  a  blessed 
little  alms,  although  it  should  only  be  a  crumb  of 
bread,  promising  that  God  should  repay  us,  and 
the  Holy  Virgin  of  the  pillar.  "■  Cahallerito !  una 
hendita  limosnita,  aunque  sea  un  pedazito  de  pan  ! 
que  dios  se  lo  pagara  y  la  Virgen  Santissi?na  del 
pilar^  This  prayer  was  doubtless  put  forth  by 
some  unhappy  Aragonese,  who  had  wandered  away 
from  the  protection  of  his  patron  saint. 

As  we  passed  the  keep,  we  tvere  surrounded  by 
the  filthy  officials  of  the  Spanish  custom-house  and 
police  ;  the  men  of  threadbare  cloak,  oil-skin  hat, 
paper  cigar,  and  rusty  sabre,  with  whom  I  was  so 
familiar.  I  understood  perfectly  that  the  eloquence 
of  a  pistareen  would  not  be  thrown  away  upon  such 
an  audience ;  and  having  successfully  applied  it,  was 
allowed  to  pass  within,  and  immediately  found  my- 

T 


78  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

self  in  a  genuine  Spanish  town,  with  its  square,  its 
colonnade,  and  frequent  fountains.    ' 

The  streets  were  of  moderate  width,  with  well- 
built  and  very  high  houses,  having  grated  windows 
below,  to  check  troublesome  intrusion,  and  balco- 
nies above.  The  lower  floors,  converted  into  shops, 
exhibited  a  beggarly  supply  of  the  rude  and  primi- 
tive fabrics,  which  still  remain  where  the  Moors 
left  them  :  the  oddest  locks  and  hinges  ;  parchment- 
covered  books  of  Venerable  antiquity ;  pot-bellied 
little  watches,  covered  with  brass  and  tortoise-shell, 
and  imported  in  bygone  centuries  for  the  uses  of 
the  great ;  curious  signs  of  wooden  hats ;  painted 
coats  of  many  colou]:s  ;  pugnacious  troopers'  boots, 
or  bleeding  legs  and  brazen  basins,  practically  set 
forth  the  commodities  or  services  that  might  be  pro- 
cured within  ;  while  the  more  pretending  inscription 
of  Almacen  de-todos  generos,  written  out  in  school- 
boy characters,  showed  where  might  be  procured 
a  striped  cotton,  a  silk  dress,  or  a  painted  fan, 
with  the  loves  of  Atala,  or  the  triumphs  of  Melek 
Adel, — the  smuggled  commodities  which  Spanish 
ingenuity  has  not  yet  learned  to  supply. 

There  was  a  square  too,  enclosed  by  arcades, 
under  which  circulated  cloaked  denizens,  bearded 
and  mustached  soldiers,  and  women  with  fan  and 
mantilla.     Nor  was  .there  any  lack  of  priests,  in 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  79 

their  long  hats  and  formal  black  cloaks,  any  more 
than  of  the  youthful  pretenders  to  the  same  dignity ; 
dirty  students  in  cocked  hats,  threadbare  draggled 
cloaks,  and  foxy  stockings.  Add  in  your  imagina- 
tion, good  reader,  a  party  of  galley-slaves,  engaged 
in  cleaning  the  streets  ;  some  loaded  with  heavy 
chains,  to  testify  to  the  enormity  of  their  crimes ; 
some  half  naked,  all  filthy,  and  with  long  black 
beards,  increasing  the  effect  of  their  pale  and  emaci- 
ated countenances,  who  are  stopping  occasionally  to 
converse  with  the  peasants,  or  uttering  an  obscene 
jest  upon  some  passing  female  :  fancy  a  party  of 
soldiers  entering  by  an  arched  passage  through  the 
buildings  that  enclose  the  square,  and  marching 
across  with  measured  tread,  accompanied  by  the 
monotonous  tapping  of  a  drum,  and  you  will  have 
an  idea  not  only  of  the  internal  appearance  of  Pam- 
plona, but  of  any  other  Spanish  town  whatsoever. 

There  was,  however,  one  exhibition  here  which  ■ 
was  wholly  new  to  me.  Beside  each  door,  whose 
appearance  indicated  the  residence  of  a  noble  or 
substantial  citizen,  was  suspended  a  huge  hog, 
newly  killed.  It  was  hooked,  by  the  lower  jaw,  to 
an  iron  spike  in  the  wall ;  its  hind  legs  drawn  up,  _ 
as  if  about  to  jump,  and  its  tail  tightly  twisted. 
Sylveti  told  me  that  these  animals,  thus  quaintly 
exposed,    had   been   killed   in    the   morning,    and 


80  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

placed  there  to  dry,  preparatory  to  the  processes 
of  salting,  smoking,  and  sausage-making.  But  this 
might  have  been  as  well  done  in  the  court-yards 
as  in  the  public  streets :  and  I  was  convinced  that 
the  exhibition  originated  in  ostentation.  Every 
well-conditioned  hog  had  its  group  of  admiring  ama- 
teurs, who  were  examining  its  fine  points,  and  envy- 
ing the  happy  possessor,  who,  from  shop  door  or 
balcony,  looked  out  with  a  feeling  of  self-compla- 
cent vanity  unknown  and  not  easily  understood  in 
those  countries,  where  every  one  has  enough  to 
eat.  .... 


«PAIN   REVISITED.  81 


•  CHAPTER   V. 

PAMPLONA.  .' 

Jose  Botero — His  Inn — His  wine-skins — Walks  in  Pamplona — Con- 
veyance for  Zara^oza— Cathedral—  Promenade'  of  the  Taconera — 
Walkers — Saarsfield — Navarre — Kitchen  Scenes— Smoking  Axi- 
oms— Art  of  supping  without  money. 

In  the  great  street  of  Pamplona,  in  front  of  the 
hotel  of  the  Count  of  Espileta,  stands  the  well- 
known  inn  of  Jose  Botero;  thus  surnamed  from 
his  profession  as  a  maker  of  botas,  or, skin  bottles, 
and  Jarger  vessels,  for  containing  oil  or  wine. 
What  his  family  name  may  be,  or  whether  he  ever 
had  one,  is  of  no  importance  to  the  reader.  It  is 
certain  that  the  name  of  Botero  is  now  the  only 
one  by  which  he  is  known  ;  and  that  it  is  very  con- 
venient, inasmuch  as  it  serves,  as  in  the  olden 
time  in  other  countries  when  names  originated, 
not  only  to  distinguish  the.  individual,  but  to  mark 
his  profession.  No  grandiloquent  sign  set  forth 
the  good  cheer  that  was  to  be  found  within ;  the 
whole  art  of  pretension,  quackery,  handbills,  and 
puffing,  not  to  mention  biped  and  walking  sign- 
posts, being  as  yet  unknown  in  Spain.  • 

Jose  Botero  depended,  for  the  patronage  of  his 

D  3 


82  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

ini),  wholly  on  the  satisfaction  he  had  been  able  to 
give  to  its  habitual  frequenters.  They,  of  course, 
could  find  their  way  to  it,  and  a  stray  passenger  in 
Pamplona,  unacquainted  with  the  localities,  was  of 
too  rare  occurrence  to  make  it  worth  while  to  hang 
forth  from  the  balcony  a  bit  of  blue  board  with 
yellow  letters,  setting  forth  that  "  this  is  the  inn  of 
Saint  Fermin,"  or  "  this  is  the  inn  of  Joseph,  the 
maker  of  leathern  bottles." 

His  additional  profession,  however,  was  an- 
nounced with  suflacient  eloquence  by  means  of  his 
wares,  which  were  hung  all  over  the  doorway  of 
his  habitation.  There  were  little  borrachos,  with 
wooden  or  horn  drinking-cups,  neat  pocket  editions, 
destined  to  be  the  source  of  much  comfort  and 
happiness  to  the  future  possessor ;  others  of  a  lar- 
ger, size  were  calculated  for  travellers  to  hang  to 
their  saddlebows,'or  suspend  from  the  roof  of  a  tilt- 
ing cart  or  wagon ;  while  others,  intended  for  the 
preservation  or  transportation  of  the  liquid,  exhibited 
every  variety  of  size,  from  the  youthful  kid  to  the 
bearded  and  full-grown  billy.  In  general  the  hair 
was  left  within,  and  smeared  with  pitch ;  but  many 
were  in  their  natural  state,  the  hair  outside,  and 
their  legs  protruding  from  the  inflated  bodies,  for  the 
convenience  of  handling,  in  lading  or  unlading  a 
mule. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  83 

In  the  doorway  of  his  house,  surrounded  by 
these  spectral  forms,  sat  Jose  Botero,  as  the  cara- 
van of  Sylveti  slowly  ascended  the'  street,  announ- 
ced by  a  full  chorus  of  all  the  canine  inhabitants 
of  the  neighbourhood.  He  had  the  skin  of  a  newly- 
flayed  goat  before  him,  which  he  was  preparing  for 
a  similar  transformation,  and  which  he  hastened  to 
throw  by  to  resume  his  character  as  dispenser  of 
hospitality.  He  was  a  little  man,  with  a  sallow 
complexion,  very  black  and  wiry  hair  and  beard, 
and  small  eyes  that  twinkled  deep  in  their  sockets, 
with  a  cunning,  stealthy,  and  by  no  means  amiable 
expression.  He  saluted. Sylveti  familiarly,  and  me 
with  courtesy,  directing  me  to  the  kitchen,  where 
I  was  ceremoniously  received  by  Mrs.  Botero  and 
the  maid,  a  stout,  buxom  young  woman  of  twenty, 
ruddy  of  complexion,  and  bursting  with  health. 
They  conducted  me  to  a  spacious  chamber,  with 
an  alcove  adjoining,  concealed  by  clean  white  cur- 
tains ;  the  floor  was  covered  with  a  straw  mat,  the 
walls  whitewashed  and  hung  with  religious  pic- 
tures, and  the  whole  place  had  an  air  of  great  neat- 
ness and  comfort. 

Having  procured  the  assistance  of  a  barber,  who 
came  with  water,  basin,  and  implements,  hidden 
away  as  usual  under  his  cloak,  to  conceal  the  occu- 
pation, which,  like  every  other  by  which  a  man 


84  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

can  earn  his  living,  unless  it  be  a  government  em- 
ployment, is  a  source  of  shame  to  a  Spaniard,  I 
descended  again  to  the  kitchen,  to  join  my  compan- 
ions at  dinner.  In  the  course  of  the  meal,  Sylveti 
gave  audience  to  a  number  of  the  notables  and 
merchants  of  Pamplona,  who  came  to  hear  the 
result  of  commissions  with  which  they  had  intrust- 
ed him,  or  to  receive  answers  to  letters  they  had 
sent ;  many  damsels,  too,  of  noble  ladies,  attended 
to  receive  little  trifles  of  taste  or  fancy  which  were 
not  to  be  found  in  Pamplona,  and  for  the  selection 
of  which  they  were  fain  to  trust  to  the  unpractised 
art  of  such  a  friend  as  Sylveti. 

In  the  afternoon  I  found  out  a  gentleman  to 
whom  I  had  a  letter,  and  gladly  accompanied  him 
to  take  a  view  of  the  town.  First  of  all,  however, 
I  took  counsel  for  the  prosecution  of  my  journey 
on  the  morrow,  applying  for  the  purpose  to  the 
director  of  the  diligence,  who  was  most  likely  to 
be  able  to  give  advice  on  this  subject.  We  found 
him  seated  at  his  desk,  his  nightcap  on,  his  spec- 
tacles in  their  place,  papers  before  him,  and  the 
tariffs  of  the  prices  of  seats  in  the  diligences  of  the 
Royal  Company  hung  around,  and  forming  the  sub- 
ject of  his  speculations.  Before  the  civil  war 
there  were  three  lines  of  diligences  from  Pamplona 
to  the  several  neighbouring  cities  of  Zaragoza,  Vi- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  85 

toria,  and  Tolosa.     Now  they  were  all  interrupted, 

and  the  administrator  said  he  had  just  sent  off  two 

draughts  of  mules  belonging  to  the  company,  to 

Zaragoza.     The  poor  man,  who  seemed  to  dread 

starvation,  told  me  that  the  only  chance  of  getting 

safely  forward  was  to  accompany  a  wagoner  or 

carman  known  to  the  Carlisls,  such  as  were  still 

allowed  to  pass.     He  said  he  had  just  received  a 

letter  from  Zaragoza  by  one  who  had  to  set  out  on 

his  return  the  following  morning,  and  gave  us  his 

address.    We  thanked  the  poor  man  for  his  advice, 

and  took  leave.  •  •  •- 

The  carman  whom  we  sought  was  not  at  home, 

but  his  mother  gave  us  all  necessary  information, 

made'  arrangements  for  my  departure  with  her  son, 

promising  that  I  should  arrive  safely,  under  his 

guidance,  at  Zaragoza,  fare  well  by  the  way,  and 

have  a  bed  of  straw  spread  for  me  on  top  of  the 

rather  obdurate  cargo  of  iron  with  which  the  cart 

was  to  be  laden.     This  determined  on,  we  strolled 

in  the  direction  of  the  cathedral,  vyhich  is  a  very 

imposing  Gothic  pile,  approached  on  one  side  by 

beautiful  cloisters,  having  windows  of  stonework 

towards  the  interior  square,  which  are  run  up  with 

the  grace  and  lightness  of  iron.     The  facade  of 

this  cathedral  is  of  recent  construction ;  it  is  in  a 

pure  Grecian  taste,  and,  though  it  has  no  accord- 

8 


86  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

ance  with  the  rest  of  the  pile,  is  certainly  very- 
beautiful.  My  companion  pointed  out  to  me  the 
materials  of  a  chapel  which  was  about  to  be  form- 
ed in  one  angle  of  the  building,  at  an  expense  of 
sixty  thousand  dollars,  telling  me,  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  bishop  of  the  diocess  had  a  revenue  of  ten 
ounces  a  day,  nearly  sixty  thousand  dollars  a  year, 
and  that  the  canons,  twenty-five  in  number,  receiv- 
ed each  an  ounce.  According  to  him,  the  cathe- 
dral owned  at  least  one  third  of  the  whole 
kingdom  of  Navarre. 

From  the  cathedral  we  strolled  to  the  public 
walk  of  the  Taconera.  It  is  rather  prettily  situated 
on  the  ramparts,  with  a  western  prospect  over  the 
valley  of  the  Arga,  extending  to  the  mountains  that 
bound  the  view.  There  are  rows  of  trees,  and  an 
attempt  at  gardening  in  the  shape  of  grass.  Very 
few  persons  had  resorted  to  the  public  walk  on  this 
occasion,  owing  to  the  agitated  condition  of  the 
country,  and  the  excitement  of  party  spirit,  with 
the  danger  of  being  compromised,  which  no  doubt 
led  those  who  had  something  to  lose  to  remain  at 
home,  and  shun  the  intercourse  of  the  world.  There 
were  a  few  clergymen,  some  women,  and  one  or 
two  officers  who  seemed  to  avoid  the  inhabitants, 
who  are  said  to  be  generally  in  favour  of  Carlos.  A 
point  of  the  promenade  overlooked  the  approaches 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  87 

to  the  gate  of  Vitoria,  and  here  stood  five  Spaniards 
who  had  hahed  in  their  v\'alk  to  witness  the  arrival 
of  a  cart  drawn  by  a  long  train  of  mules,  which 
was  ascending  the  hill ;  all  of  them  had  their  cloaks 
thrown  over  the  left  shoulder,  half  concealing  the 
face ;  they  were  gazing  in  the  same  direction,  and 
seemed  beset  by  the  same  vacancy  of  ideas ;  an 
equal  number  of  observant  buzzards  were  perched 
in  a  row  a  little  beyond,  on  the  line  of  the  battle- 
ments, and  the  two  groups  seemed  symbohcal  of 
each  other.  .       - 

Meantime  a  single  carriage,  having  three  horses 
harnessed  abreast,  was  driven  up  and  down  the 
walk. by  a  demure  coachman.  Within  rechned  an 
attenuated  old  nobleman,  who  had  the  reputation 
of  having  enriched  himself,  when  employed  in  a 
diplomatic  station  in  Holland,  by  being  interested 
in  privateers  that  were  fitted  out  to  cruise  against 
Spanish  commerce.  If  this  reputation  were  un- 
justly awarded  to  the  old  gentleman,  it  still  shows 
what  sort  of  suspicion  a  functionary  is  liable  to  in 
Spain ;  if  the  story  were  not  true,  it  was  not  there-  ' 
fore  improbable  :  for  public  virtue,  patriotism,  and 
probity  in  office,  are  qualities  unknown  there  and 
unappreciated.  "  ■        ♦  • 

I    learned   from    my   companion,   that   General 
Saarsfield  was  the  present  viceroy  of  Navarre ;  he 


88  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

has  the  most  distinguished  reputation  for  high  miU- 
tary  genius  of  any  general  in  the  Spanish  army. 
During  the  war  of  independence  he  made  a  con- 
spicuous figure ;  but  his  talents  are  not  suited,  it  is 
said,  to  the  guerilla  warfare ;  and  the  government, 
not  being  satisfied  with  his  movements  against  the 
insurgents  of  the  Basque  provinces,  have  removed 
him  to  the  viceroy  ally  of  Navarre,  where  he  has 
not  acted  with  any  energy,  probably  for  the  want 
of  sufficient  force.     He  was  in  bad  health,  and  his 
addiction  to  the  pleasures  of  the  table  was  said  to 
be,  in  some  measure,  the  reason  of  it- 
Pamplona,  which  now  contains  about  fourteen 
thousand  inhabitants,  was  the  ancient  capital  of  the 
kingdom  of  Navarre,  which  had  a  separate  and 
independent  existence  for  several  centuries.      In 
becoming  merged,  with  the  lapse  of  time,  in  the 
consolidated  monarchy,  it  still  retains  something  of 
its  individuality; — is  called  a  kingdom,  governed 
by  a  viceroy  appointed  by  the  king,  but  in  some 
measure  controlled  by  a  supreme  council  chosen 
from  among  the  Navarrese ;  and  occasionally  holds 
its  assembly  of  cortes  to  deliberate  on  matters  of 
higher  interest.     Navarre,  too,  is  not  subject  to  the 
-odious  system  of  taxes  which  palsies  industry  and 
dries  up  the  resources  of  other  portions  of  Spain, 
but  pays  a  certain  subsidy  to  the  king,  which  it 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  89 

raises  by  a  just  repartition  among  the  towns  and 
villages,  and  judiciously  applies  a  portion  of  its 
revenues  to  the  construction  of  roads,  and  render- 
ing them  safe  for  travellers,  by  means  of  guardians, 
supported  at  the  public  expense.  Her  people  are, 
of  course,  ardently  attached  to  these  privileges. 
Hence  their  opposition  to  the  constitution  and  its 
liberals,  who,  in  their  day  of  power,  rather  strove 
to  bring  about  their  system  of  equalization  by  ta- 
king away  liberty  from  those  who  possessed  and 
valued  it,  than  by  conferring  it  on  those  who  had 
it  not. 

On  my  return  to  the  inn  I  found  the  innkeeper, 
his  wife,  and  the  lusty  chambermaid,  all  belabour- 
ing with  words  an  unhappy  recusant  peasant,  who 
had  been  two  days  in  the  house,  and  had  no  osten- 
sible means  of  paying  his  reckoning.     Their  sus- 
picions were  excited  by  the  circumstance  of  his 
having  neither  mules,  goods  of  any  sort,  changes 
of  clothing,  nor,  as  they  were  thence  disposed  to 
suspect,  money  either.     His    well-worn   doublet, 
breeches,  and  montero  cap,  and  his  cowhide  san- 
dals, bound  with  leather  thongs,  certainly  conveyed 
no  very  reassuring  argument  in  the  absence  of 
mules  and  burdens,  the  customary  concomitants  of 
«very  duly  qualified  traveller.     It  seems  that  he 
owed  the  portentous  sum  of  seven  reals,  or  thirty-five 


90  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

€ents,  for  which  he  had  already  been  twice  dunned 

during  the  day,  and  had  escaped  from  t^ie  tempest 

of  importunities  by  saying  that  he  was  going  forth 

to   collect    money.     Allowing   due    lime    for   the 

storm  to  blow  by,  he  had  skulked  again  into  the 

kitchen,  and  stowed  himself  in  the  chimney  corner, 

,  endeavouring  to  conciliate  the  landlady  by  petting 

her  cat,  or  giving  her  notice  of  the  overboiling  of 

her  pipkins.     He  seemed  to  be  doing  pretty  well 

until  the  landlord  himself  made  his  appearance,  just 

after  I  entered. 

Jose  Botero  was  one  of  those  men  who  are  dis- 
posed to  push  a  retreating  foe,  and  whose  courage 
mounts  in  an  inverse  ratio  as  that  of  their  adver- 
sary is  declining.  He  at  once  opened  upon  him, 
asked  him  if  he  had  collected  the  money,  called 
upon  him  to  pay  up,  ridiculed  his  destitute  condi- 
tion, telling  him  if  his  skin  were  taken  away  he 
would  be  naked — "  quitandole  el  pellejo  se  queda 
sin  ahrigo ;"  and  finally  threatening  to  acquaint  the 
police  that  he  was  a  suspicious  character,  and  have 
him  stopped  at  the  gates  if  he  should  attempt  to 
escape.  The  intervals  of  Joseph's  abuse  were 
filled  up  by  the  landlady  and  the  maid,  who  sung  a 
sort  of  chorus  to  the  same  tune.  As  for  the  poor 
fellow,  he  defended  himself  with  great  meekness, 
calmness,  and  dignity,  interspersing  his  conversa- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  91 

tion  and  helping  out  his  argument  with  proverbs, 
which  were  as  pertinent  to  the  case,  and  as  appro- 
priate, as  a  sermon  in  the  mouth  of  Satan  ;  such  as, 
*'  he  who  has  money  has  no  need  of  credit ; —  the 
good  paymaster  does  not  fear  to  give  pledges  ;" — 
"  quien  tiene  dinero  no  falta  de  credito ; — al  huen 
pogador  no  le  duelen  las  'prendas^  The  old  fel- 
low, finding  at  length  that  it  was  impossible  to 
make  head  against  such  fearful  odds,  thought  it 
was  best  to  go  to  sleep,  or  pretend  to  do  so :  And 
Joseph,  after  showing  his  courage  by  venting  a 
few  hearty  curses  upon  him,  lit  his  cigar  and  turned 
to  talk  of  other  matters. 

"  How  is  it,  friend  Sylveti,"  said  he,  "  that  you 
throw  your  smoke  away  ?  You  should  swallow  it  all, 
man ;  send  the  whole  of  it  into  your  stomach,  and 
thus  receive  the  substance  of  the  tobacco  I  One 
cigar  does  me  more  good  in  that  way  than  a  dozen 
in  your  unmeaning  manner — ^just  drawn  in  and 
puffed  out  again.  In  a  man  of  your  age,  experi- 
ence, and  standing,  such  simplicity  is  altogether 
surprising."  Sylveti  responded,  and  a  learned  ar- 
gument took  place  on  the  use  and  effects  of  tobacco, 
in  which  the  relative  qualities  of  Brazil,  Cuba,  and 
American  tobacco,  were  duly  characterized  and 
compared ;  the  advantages  of  pipes  were  also 
estimated :  and  the  whole  subject  thoroughly  and 


92  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

ably  discussed  by  these  two  worthies,  who  de- 
claimed, with  a  certain  glow  of  enthusiasm,  upon 
matters  which  they  were  certainly  qualified  to  talk 
of,  knowingly  and  learnedly. 

Meantime  the  recusant  peasant,  having  discover- 
ed that  he  was  not  likely  to  be  remembered  amid 
the  fumes  of  the  tobacco,  and  the  reveries  and  spec- 
ulations to  which  it  gave  rise,  fancied  that  he  might 
now  reappear  upon  the  scene,  and  accordingly 
stretched  forth  a  leg,  yawned,  rubbed  his  eyes,  and 
affected  to  wake  up.  Presently  he  made  bold  to  ask 
very  modestly  for  a  little  supper.  I  was  very  much 
pleased  to  see  that  the  landlady  and  the  maid  pro- 
ceeded to  supply  him  with  food,  replacing  his  dish, 
from  time  to  time,  on  the  bench  beside  him,  and  at- 
tending to  all  his  wants  in  the  most  charitable  man- 
ner, and  without  any  renewal  of  the  previous  up- 
braiding. It  was  only  another  proof  that  female 
charity,  though  it  may  slumber  a  while,  though  it 
may  yield  to  the  luxury  which  scolding  affords,  can 
only  for  a  moment  be  smothered,  to  glow  again, 
and  blaze  out  brightly  ;  and  I  found  myself  uncon- 
sciously putting  forth  the  wish,  that  if  cruel  fate 
should  ever  leave  me  alone  and  unfriended  in 
the  world,  without  money  and  without  means, 
my  pockets  alike  strangers  to  the  occupancy  of 
gold,  silver,  or  ignoble  brass — as  destitute  in  all 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  93 

things  as  this  unaccredited  muleteer — some  gentle 
being  of  the  other  sex  might  be  at  hand  to  rescue  me 
from  the  brutaUty  of  my  own  ;  to  receive  my  sup- 
plications ;  to  cast  upon  me  one  compassionating 
glance  of  her  tender  and  tearful  eye ;  and,  in  the 
hour  of  my  utmost  need,  to  bless  me  with  a  sup- 
per. 


.    ( 


94  SPAIN    REVISITED. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

FROM    PAMPLONA    TO    CAPARROSO. 

The  Carro  and  its  Carretero— Venta  del  Piojo — Solitary  Journey- 
Breaking  up  of  a  Fair— Encounter  with  Carlists— Evening  in  the 
Villages— The  Chicken's  Inn— Scene  of  fotmer  Murders— Tafalla 
— Peasants  going  afield— Monotony  of  Spanish  Scenery. 

In  the  morning  I  attended  mass  in  the  cathe- 
dral ;  kneeled  amid  the  familiar  groups  of  darkly- 
dressed  females  strown  upon  the  pavement ;  listen- 
ed to  the  solemn  chant  of  the  officiating  priest,  or 
ghrilly  contrasted  voices  which  responded  from  the 
choir ;  and  snuffed  again  the  Spanish  odours  of  the 
scattered  incense.     Next  I  ate  a  hearty  breakfast ; 
and  thus  fortified  in  body  and  in  soul,  I  was  ready 
to  attempt  much  greater  adventures  than  a  journey 
to  Zaragoza.     At  nine  a  man  came  to  take    my 
baggage  to  the  cart,  to  which  I  had  added  one  of 
Joseph's  borrachos,  which  he   selected  with  due 
care,  and  filled  with   generous  wine.     My  com- 
panion of  the  day  before  accompanied  me  to  the 
carro,  to  deliver  me  up  ere  he  bade  me  farewell, 
and  so  did  Sylveti.     The  vehicle  was  ready,  and 
five  valiant  mules,  bedecked  with  bells  and  gay  or- 
naments of  worsted,  stood  ready  to  heave  it  in  mo- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  95 

tion.  Yet  the  master  had  not  appeared,  nor  been 
seen  that  morning.  "  Look  for  him,"  said  his  old 
father,  "  in  the  house  of  Pepa  Maria,  the  widow  of 
the  hatmaker ;  or  stop,  as  you  go  by,  at  Muhoz,  the 
muleteer's,  who  is  gone  to  Vitoria.  He  is  a  sad 
boy,  this  Ramon,  and  I  fear  he  will  yet  be  hanged 
one  day." 

Finding  that  Ramon  was  likely  to  be  hard  to 
find,  I  determined  to  ramble  along  alone  in  ad- 
vance ;  and  passing  through  the  gate,  the  high  road 
to  Zaragoza  lay  before  me  ;  smooth,  well  made 
with  broken  stones,  and  in  beautiful  condition, 
There  were  a  great  many  muleteers  with  merchan- 
dise, and  one  or  two  travellers  ;  the  wind  was  high, 
and  swept  with  such  fury  from  the  mountains,  that 
one  of  these  travellers,  who  seemed  to  be  an  Arago- 
nese,  from  the  immense  size  of  his  hat,  was  obliged 
to  double  it  up  at  the  sides,  in  the  form  of  a  priest's, 
and  bind  it  tightly  around  his  chin  with  a  handker- 
chief. Having  eyed  the  passing  groups  until  they 
ceased  to  interest  me,  and  reached  a  point  whence 
a  turn  in  the  road  would  render  the  gate  by  which 
I  had  left  Pamplona  no  longer  visible,  I  halted  to 
await  the  arrival  of  my  vehicle  and  new  travelling 
companion. 

At  length  the  roof  of  the  cart  hove  in  sight  above 
the  outer  wall,  and  it  came  slowly  rumbling  onward. 


96  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

As  it  drew  nigh  I  caught  the  sound  of  my  car- 
man's whip,  and  the  merry  tones  of  his  voice,  as 
he  was  singing  to  beguile  the  way;  occasionally 
interrupting  himself  to  shout  a  curse  or  two  at  the 
mules,  accompanied  by  still  more  emphatic  testi- 
monials of  his  displeasure.  On  coming  up  I  found 
that  he  was  not  dressed  in  the  fashion  of  his  coun- 
try, but  in  the  more  janty  costume  of  Andalusia; 
tight  green  velvet  jacket  and  breeches,  adorned 
with  more  buttons  than  utility  called  for ;  leather 
leggings  and  gacbo  hat,  well  garnished  with  beads 
and  riband.  He  had  a  yellow  handkerchief  round 
his  neck,  confined  by  a  huge  silver  ring,  set  with 
bits  of  shining  glass  to  represent  diamonds.  His 
figure  was  very  neat,  though  small,  and  his  features 
regular  and  handsome,  though  he  evidently  was 
not  wearing  his  best  looks ;  his  eyes  were  inflamed 
and  bloodshot,  partly  from  passing  a  bad  night, 
partly  from  an  effort  to  restore  himself  by  a  morn- 
ing dram ;  and  he  had  altogether  the  air  of  a  dissi- 
pated c^t,  which  returns  with  a  scratched  face  to 
doze  by  the  fireside,  after  a  night  of  rambling  and 
caterwauling.  It  was  quite  plain  that  he  was  a 
man  of  gallantry,  and  abundant  knife-cuts  on 
his  face  and  hands  attested  that  his  loves  had  not 
always  been  peaceful.  When  he  had  stopped  the 
cart,  taken  me  in,  and  made  the  beginning  of  an 


SPAIN  REVISITED,  97 

acquaintance,  he  stretched  himself  flat  upon  his 
face  and  went  to  sleep.  .- 

About  noon  the  mules  stopped  of  their  own  ac- 
cord before  the  Venta  del  Piojo — the  Inn  of  the 
Louse.  It  was  a  dusty,  mud-coloured  building, 
situated  in  an  uninhabited  plain,  and  bore  no  evi- 
dence of  being  worthy  of  a  better  name.  The 
barley-man,  or  hostler,  came  out  and  released  the 
four  leading  mules  to  carry  them  to  water,  refresh- 
ing the  macho  in  the  shafts  as  he  stood.  I  declined 
Ramon's  invitation  to  go  in  and  eat,  begging  him, 
however,  to  send  me  some  bread.  The  mules, 
being  now  hitched  again,  set  forward  under  the 
direction  of  the  dispenser  of  barley,  whom  Ramon 
had  asked  to  take  his  place  for  a  few  moments. 
After  walking  on  upwards  of  two  miles,  looking 
back  impatiently  from  time  to  time,  and  sending  a 
hearty  oath  in  search  of  him,  he  at  length  turned 
round,  and  went  muttering  homeward.  I  was  thus 
left  alone  with  the  mules  and  caft,  with  whose  prog- 
ress I  did  not  in  any  way  interfere,  leaving  them 
to  find  their  way  onward  as  best  they  might. 

To  beguile  the  way,  I  made  an  incursion  into  a 
pate  oi  foie  de  canard,  which  I  had  brought  from 
Angouleme,  and  which,  accompanied  by,  the  bread 
which  Ramon  had  sent  me,  and  an  occasional 
draught  from  the  bota,  made  up  as  deHghtful  a 

VOL.  I. — E  9 


98  SPAIN   REVISITED* 

meal  as  I  could  desire ;  after  which  I  stretched 
myself  at  full  length  and  fell  asleep.  Awaking  at 
the  end  of  an  hour  or  two,  I  found  that  the  carman 
had  not  yet  appeared.  By  this  time  we  had  ap- 
proached the  point  where  the"  Carlists  were  likely 
to  interrupt  us,  and  I  had  the  prospect  of  being  left 
alone  to  reason  with  them.  The  chief  advantage 
in  coming  with  this  man  was  because  he  was  known 
to  the  insurgents,  and  was  supposed  to  be  in  their 
favour,  and  my  friend  in  Pamplona  had  told  me 
that  I  could  not  go  in  better  company,  because 
Ramon  was  the  worst  fellow  in  Pamplona ;  mean- 
ing thereby  that  he  was  a  thorough  Carlist,  he 
himself  being  of  the  opposite  party.  At  length  the 
fellow  made  his  appearance,  half  drunk,  and  singing 
merrily,  having  remained  to  eat  dinner,  and  fallen 
into  conversation  with  the  company. 

By  this  time  the  day  began  to  wane,  and  towards 
dark  we  met  a  large  concourse  of  people  returning 
frorti  the  fair  of  Tafalla.  The  women  wore  their 
hair  long  and  plaited,  their  heads  being  covered 
with  cotton  handkerchiefs.  The  party  were  mount- 
ed on  asses,  having  their  purchases  under  them,  or 
trudged  along  on  foot,  the  whole  keeping  together 
for  society  and  security.  Towards  the  close  of 
the  company  came  half  a  dozen, armed  men,  whom 
1  at  once  knew  to  be  Carlists.     One  of  them,  from 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  99 

his  age,  dress,  and  military  bearing,  was  evidently 
a  deserter  from  the  army;  but  the  others  were 
mere  boys  in  age  and  figure,  the  commander 
of  the  party  especially,  who  could  not  have  been 
more  than  sixteen.  They  immediately  called  upon 
us  to  halt,  and  Ramon  jumped  down  and  embraced 
the  young  sergeant,  in  whom  he  recognised  an 
old  acquaintance,  a  former  locksmith  of  Pamplona, 
who  in  turn  was  highly  delighted  to  see  him,  ac- 
costing him  by  the  familiar  nickname  of  Christo, 
by  which  I  found  he  was  known  exclusively 
throughout  the  whole  road  to  Zaragoza.  "^  ' 

Having  finished  his  inquiries  about  friends  in 
Pamplona,  and  other  personal  aifairs,  he  turned  to 
ask  him  what  he  had  got  there,  pointing  to  me,  as 
I  lay  at  my  ease  looking  at  them.  Ramon  an- 
swered that  I  was  a  strang;er  who  had  been  recom- 
mended, by  a  person  of  wealth  and  distinction,  to 
his  particular  care,  and  that  I  was  the  bearer  of  a 
duly  countersigned  passport*  He  asked  to  look  at 
it;  glanced  at  the  eagle,  by  means  of  which  he  was 
able  to  distinguish  enough  to  hold  the  right  side  up 
in  looking  at  it;  blundered  at  my  name;  and,  look- 
ing me  in  the  face  as  he  returned  it,  said,  with  an 
easy,  graceful  impudence,  "  It  is  easy  to  see  that 
thou  hast  an  evil  name,  since  I  do  not  understand 
it — ya  podemos  decir  que  tenets  mal  nomhre,  pues 

E   2 


100  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

no  Id  entiendo."  Turning  to  Ramon,  he  commenced 
talking  again  of  other  affairs ;  asked  him  tauntingly, 
yet  good-humouredly,  why  he  did  not  join  his  old 
friends,  the  peseteros,  since  he  had  been  in  the 
militia  in  the  lime  of  the  constitution.  He  then 
asked,  in  a  low  and  serious  tone,  whether  I  were  a 
true  man— "  es  homhre  de  hien  ese.?"  Ramon 
pledged  himself  that  I  was  of  the  orthodox  opinion, 
and  he  told  us  to  move  on,  saluting  me  with  a 
religious  expression  in  use  in  Spain,  which  hcj 
defender  of  the  faith -and  church  as  he  was,  made 
to  allude  sacrilegiously  to  the  misnamed  scape- 
grace with  whom  I  was  travelling — "  con  Christo 
vdis  a7niffor 

At  the  close  of  day  we  reached  a  village  on  a 
hill,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  returning  from 
the  fields  with  their  implements  of  husbandry;  and 
all  the  sheep,  cows,  asses,  and  every  living  thing 
belonging  to  the  village,  were  equally  repairing  to 
the  protection  of  their  respective  homes.  They 
were  driven  in  a  body  by  the  herdsmen,  and,  as 
they  came  to  their  houses,  walked  unceremoniously 
in,  among  the  children  and  other  bipeds,  on  their 
way  to  the  interior  courtyards.  A  little  further  on 
we  met  a  muleteer  wlio  recognised  Ramon,  not- 
withstanding the  darkness,  and  cried  out  to  him, 
"  Donde  mis  Christo  a  estas  horas — where  are  you 


SPAIN  RfiVISITED.  101 

going  at  this  late  hour  ?"  "A  laVenta  del  Polio — 
to  the  Chicken's  Inn,"  was  the  reply;  and  soon 
after  we  were  gathered  under  the  ample  roof  and 
beside  the  crackling  fire  of  the  caravansary  afore- 
said, as  snug  as  chickens  clustered  for  the  night 
under  the  warm  wings  of  the -brooding  hen. 

There  was  a  number  of  muleteers  collected 
there,  besides  the  family,  which  consisted  of  the 
innkeeper  and  barleyman  with  their  wives,  and  a 
coaa'se  maid  of  all  works.  The  style  of  conversa- 
tion among  these  people  was  obscene,  and  of  start- 
ling profanity;  indeed,  the  place  had  a  very  bad 
reputation,  and  several  murders  had  been  perpe- 
trated there  in-times  past.  A  few  years  before,  a 
man  who-  Was  returning  from  the  fair  of  Tafalla 
with  the  money  which  he  had  received  for  a  cow, 
stopped  at  this  inn  with  his  daughter,  and  left  her 
there,  as  she  was  too  much  fatigued  to  go  on. 
Thinking  there  might  be  some  risk  in  carrying  so 
much  money,  he  left  it  with  his  daughter,  who  was 
to  follow  in  the  morning.  It  happened  that  two 
noted  robbers,  who  had  lurked  about  the  fair,  had 
set  their  mark  upon  this  old  man, -to  take  from  him 
the  price  of  what  he  had  been  selling;  accordingly 
they  watched  his  movements  at  the  inn,  and,  fol- 
lowing him  when  he  left  there,  overtook  him  and 
demanded  his  money.'    He  delivered  what  he  had, 


102  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

amounting  lo  a  few  reals  and  some  pieces  of  cop- 
per, and  begged  ihem  to  spare  his  life.  They  were 
exceedingly  enraged,  demanded  more,  knowing 
that  he  had  sold  the  cow,  and,  on  his  protesting 
that  he  had  not  another  copper  on  him,  stabbed 
him  with  their  knives.  They  then  searched  the 
body ;  and  finding  that  the  old  man  had  told  the 
truth,  discovered  that  he  must  have  left  the  money 
with  his  daughter. 

So  far  from  being  appalled  or  restrained  by  what 
they  had  done,  they  were  only  vexed  at  their  fail- 
ure, and  determined  still  to  succeed.  It  happened 
that  the  individuals  who  then  kept  the  Inn  of  the 
Chicken  were  their  accomplices,  and  had  often 
engaged  with  them  in  deeds  of  murder  and  rob- 
bery. They  went  to  the  inn,  and  found  that  the 
old  man's  daughter  had  gone  to  bed,  her  room  being 
above  the  kitchen,  a  badly-jointed  floor  alone  sep- 
arating the  two  apartments.  The  conversation 
carried  on  below  was  distinctly  audible.  The 
young  woman  was  fatigued  and  feverish  ;  besides, 
she  had  not  been  used  to  sleep  away  from  home. 
Presently  she  heard  additional  voices,  being  those 
of  the. robbers,  recounting  what  they  had  already 
done  to  her  father,  and  devising  schemes  to  possess 
themselves  of  the  money  which  must  be  on  the 
person  of  the  daughter.     That  there  might  be  no 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  103 

danger  of  discovery,  ihey  proposed  to  murder  her. 
The  wife  of  the  innkeeper  suggested  that,  after 
murdering  her,  the  body  should  be  reduced  to  ashes 
in  the  oven,  thai  there  should  be  no  clew  to  her 
fate. 

All  this  the  young  woman  heard,  although  they 
talked  in  a  suppressed  tone,  her  hearing  being  ex- 
cited, by  the  terrors  of  her  situation,  to  a  nervous 
and  preternatural  sensibility.  What  was  to  be 
done  ?  There  was  no  time  to  lose  ;  and  she  rose 
hastily,  trod  quietly  across  the  floor,  undid  the  win- 
dow, and  leaped  to  the  ground.  The  height  was 
considerable,  and  she  found  herself,  on  rising,  with 
her' ankle,  badly  sprained,  and  quite  lame  ;  never- 
theless she  managed,  by  some  means,  to  reach  the 
nearest  village  of  Mendivil.  The  authorities  being 
appealed  to,  immediately  repaired  to  the  proposed 
scene  of  murder,  and  demanded  admittance.  The 
innkeeper  and  his  wife  and  the  two  robbers  were 
there,  and  a  blazing  fire  was  burning  in  the  oven, 
which  could  have  been  kindled  there  with  no  legiti- 
mate motive  at  that  unwonted  hour.  The  dead  body 
of  the  unfortunate  father  was  found  where  the  girl 
directed  them  to  look,  and  the  murderers  received 
the  fate  which  they  so  justly  merited.  The  guilty 
innkeeper,  with  his  wife,  were  likewise  punished, 


104  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

the  one  being  sent  to  the  galleys,  the  other  impris- 
oned. 

As  for  me,  though  I  rested  badly  in  the  Chick- 
en's Inn,  it  was  not  from  any  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  host  or  the  lodgers  to  subject  me  to  the 
operation  oX  the  bake-oven,  but  from  the  equally 
crueljthough  more  impotent  attacks  of  sundry  ven- 
omous little  animals,  which  were  the  occasion  of 
my  being  very  glad  to  be  called  up  in  the  morning 
to  renew  my  journey.  In  a  little  more  than  an 
hour  the  rising  sun  fell  full  upon  the  edifices  of 
the  .pretty  town  of  Tafalla,  which  lay  before  us. 
Crossing  a  stream  by  a  stone  bridge  of  solid  and 
beautiful  construction,  we  entered  the  public  prom- 
enade, which  was  beautifully  laid  out  with  planta- 
tions of  trees ;  stone  benches  were  placed  at  con- 
venient distances,  and  a  little  canal  of  limpid  water 
ran  beside  it.  A  number  of  young  women  were 
washing  clothes  in  it,  while  others,  having  bundles 
on  their  heads,  came  singing  from  the  town  to  join 
the  assemblage. 

I  found  the  inhabitants  of  Tafalla  engaged,  like 
those  of  Pamplona,  the  day  before,  in  killing  hogs. 
They  had  just  cut  the  throat  of  one  in  front  of  the 
inn  ;  and  having  taken  good  care  to  preserve  the 
blood,  were  actually  removing  the  hair  by  rolling 
him  over  and  over  in  an  immense  bonfire,  which 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  105 

had  been  kindled  for  the  purpose  in  the  middle  of 
the  street.     The  whole  transaction  seemed  to  oc- 
casion great  excitement  in  the  town.     The  boys 
were  dancing  and  capering  about  in  most  un-Span- 
ishlike  forgetfulness  of  their  dignity ;  numbers  of 
amateurs  crowded  around  to  assist  in  the  operation  ; 
while  all  the  idle  people,  or  desocupados,  a  class 
sufficiently  numerous,  in  every  Spanish  village,  to 
have  a  name,  and  many  who,  from  the  implements 
they  bore,  seemed  to  be  on  their  way  to  the  fields, 
gathered  round,  enveloped  in  their  cloaks  or  blan- 
kets, to  remark  on  the  qualities  of  the  animal,  in- 
dulge in  speculations  upon  blood  pudding,  sausa- 
ges, and   souse,  and   enjoy  an   exhibition   which 
well-fed  burghers  may  not  appreciate,  but  which 
was  not  wholly  without  interest  for  hungry  people. 
Ramon  slopped,  as  usual,  to  take  his  capita  of 
brandy  with  the  landlord  of  the  inn,  and  make  his 
excuses  for  not  having  reached  his  ordinary  resting- 
place  the  night  before.     The  vehicle,  .meanwhile, 
ruhibled  onward,  under  the  voluntary  guidance  of 
the  capitana,  the  road  being  covered' with  groups 
of  labourers,  going  forth  to  their  olive-orchards  and 
corn-fields.     Most  of  these   had  asses,  on  which 
they  rode,  carrying  their  provisions  in  a  pannier, 
and   a  well-filled   borracho.     The    most  common 

implennent  of  husbandry  was  a  hoe,  the  iron  of 

E  3 


106  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

which  was  very  long,  standing  at  a  sharp  angle 
with  the  handle,  which,  being  placed  over  the  ass's 
neck,  hung  there  very  conveniently. 

I  was  very  much  amused  with  the  efforts  of  two 
boys  to  mount  an  ass  they  were  conducting.  In 
vain  did  one  attempt  to  mount  while  the  other  held 
the  animal ;  it  refused  pertinaciously  to  descend 
into  any  hollow  which  would  have  rendered  the 
jump  more  easy  ;  it  bounded  away  from  every  leap, 
or  else,  meeting  it  at  the  outset,  rendered  it  abor- 
tive :  equally  without  success  did  they  attempt  to 
lull  the  watchful  animal  into  forgetfulness,  and 
forego  their  efforts  for  a  while,  in  the  hope  of 
taking  it  by  surprise,  or  pouncing  upon  it  from  be- 
hind. They  were  themselves  worried  out,  cheated 
of  their  expected  ride,  and  forced  to  foot  it.  We 
were  not  more  than  a  mile  from  Tafalla,  when  an 
immense  black  wolf  came  trotting  across  the  fields, 
and  traversed  the  road  just  before  us  ;  upon  which 
a  little  dog,  that  happened  to  be  near,  set  up  a  faint 
bark;  the  wolf,  however,  pursued  his  course 
through  a  corn-field,  looking  back,  like  a  robber, 
to  measure  the  strength  of  his  pursuer. 

A  distance  of  only,  one  league  separates  the  two 
rival  towns  of  Olite  and  Tafalla,  the  intermediate 
space  being  thoroughly  cultivated,  as  was  the 
whole  of  the  surrounding  country.     The  extreme" 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  107 

fertility  of  their  territory  has  given  rise  to  the 
proverb  which  Ramon  repeated  to  me,  and  which 
pronounces  them  to  be  the  flower  of  Navarre — 
"  Olite  y  Tafalla,  la  flor  de  Navarra."  A  level 
and  unvarying  plain  extended  for  many  miles  be- 
yond Olite,  enclosed  on  either  side  by  distant  and 
jagged  mountains,  rocky,  and  destitute  of  trees  > 
For  more  than  ten  miles  we  continued  to  keep 
these  two  towns  in  sight.  .'     • 

This  is  a  striking  peculiarity  of  Spanish  scenery, 
which  I  had  often  had  occasion  to  notice  before  in 
the  great  plateau  which  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
Peninsula.  The  eye  plays  over  immense  distan- 
ces. You  see  in  the  remoteness  of  the  horizon 
the  square  tower  of  a  church,  with  a  few  houses 
grouped  aroiind,  often  of  the  same  parched  colour 
as  the  soil  on  which  you.  stand.  You  are  told  that 
it  is  four  leagues  off,  which  means  more  than  a 
dozen  miles ;  for  in  the  country,  where  one  travels 
slowest,  where  the  distances  seem  greatest  from 
tjie  uniformity  of  the  way,  and  the.  extent  and  .dis- 
tinctness of  vision,  on  account  of  the'  purity  of  the 
atmosphere,  the  unity  of  measurement  being 
largest,  the  enumeration  of  one's  progress  is  slow- 
est and  most  hopeless.  In  a  country  hke  this  one 
frequently  sees,  at  rising,  the  village  which  is  to 
terminate  the  journey  of  the  day.     There  is  some- 


108  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

thing  grand  in  these  far-extended  vistas,  as  in 
those  which  the  ocean  affords ;  but  with  the  gran- 
deur of  the  ocean  there  is  also  its  monotony. 

Notwithstanding  the  slowness  of  our  progress 
on  this  day,  I  was  very  happy;  for  the  weather 
was  most  balmy  and  delightful ;  indeed,  there  was 
not  a  breath  of  air  stirring,  nor  a  cloud  anywhere 
to  be  seen.  The  sky  offered  an  immense  sea  of 
transparent  ether,  through  which  the  sun  shone 
forth  in  power  and  brilliancy.  I  was  cheered  and 
gladdened  by  his  rays  ;  and  I  felt  a  sensible  expan- 
sion of  both  body  and  soul,  as  I  recognisfsd  the 
bright  sky  of  Spain  and  of  my  own  country,  with 
feelings  blended  *of  agreeable  recollections  of  the 
one  and  ardent  attachment  to  the  other.  1  walked 
for  miles  at  the  side  of  the  mules,  collecting  peb- 
bles as  I  went,  and  discharging  them  at  the  more 
indolent  of  them.  Ramon,  too,  who  began  to  grow 
sober,  added  his  quota  of  entertainment,  being 
both  loquacious  and  intelhgent.  Every  object  had 
some  association— some  story  or  motto.  On  the 
right  of  the  road  stood  a  singular  heap  of  irregular 
stones,  which,  at  a  distance,  had  the  air  of  a  ruined 
castle;  but  being  seen  nearer,  seemed  to  have 
originated  in  a  slide  from  the  neighbouring  moun- 
tain. .  These  rocks  had  long  furnished  a  lurking- 
place  for  a  band  of  robbers  ;  and  the  two  who  had 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  109 

perpetrated  the  murder  of  the  old  man  near  the 
Venta  del*  Polio  were  of  the  number.  The  whole 
gang  was  broken  up  at  about  the  same  time,  and 
the  head  of  the  chief  exposed  ignominiously  at 
Tafalla,  while  his  right  hand,  nailed  to  a  staff,  and 
planted  on  the  summit  of  these  stones,  known  by 
the  name  of  the  Terrijuelas,  served  at  once  to 
strike  terror  into  the  soul  of  the  evil-minded,  and 
inspire  the  traveller  with  confidence. 

At  noon  we  stopped  to  dine  at  an  obscure  and 
solitary  inn,  in  which  we  found  a  shepherd  who 
had  come  down  from  the  mountains,  to  try  a 
change  of  air,  in  breaking  the  paroxysms  of  ague, 
to  which  he  had  been  some  months  subject.  He 
was  a  handsome,  sentimental-looking  yburtg  fellow, 
and  njore  like  a  pastoral  hero  than  any  that  I  had 
yet  seen.  The  woman  of  the  house  was  young  and 
pretty,  with  a  very  neat  foot ;  she  was,  however, 
slovenly  and  slatternly,  as  is  too  often  the  case 
with  handsome  landladies.  She  had  a  httle  son, 
four  years  of  age,  whom  she  was  about  to  equip  in 
a  bull-fighter's  dress.  She  charged  Ramon  to 
bring  a  set  of  buttons  for  her  from  Zaragoza,  the 
shepherd  having  already  promised  to  give  her  a 

lambskin  to  make  the  jacket.  '        '\  ■    -'     "  ■' 

10        .'.     ' 


110  SPAIN    REVISITED. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  CAPARROSO  TO  VALTIERRA. 

Caparroso — A  Guerilla  Veteran— Conversation  with  Charioteer — 
Colloquial  Tact  of  Spaniards — Politics  of  my  Companions — Influ- 
ence of  Clergy — How  exercised — Political  uses  of  Confessional 
— Valtierra  —  Company  at  Inn — Conversation  there  —  Supper — 
Revelry. 

In  the  afternoon  we  came  in  sight  of  the  large 
town  of  Caparroso.  It  was  situated  on  the  side  of 
a  barren,  chalky  hill,  which  is  everywhere  cut  into 
ravines  by  the  torrents.  The  valley  below  was, 
however,  very  fertile,  and  the  gardens,  vineyards, 
and  olive-orchards,  through  which  the  town  is  ap- 
proached, make  a  very  pleasing  contrast  with  the 
desolate  air  of  the  mountains.  Before  entering  the 
town  we  crossed  the  Aragon,  by  a  fine  bridge. 
This  stream  is  one  of  the  chief  confluents  of  the 
Ebro,  and  claims  the  greater ,  honour  of  having 
given  its  name  to  the  glorious  kingdom  of  Aragon. 
We  found  this  bridge  provided  with  a  temporary 
gate  in  the  centre.  There  was  also  a  barrier 
erected  to  defend  its  approaches,  and  loopholes  for 
musketry.  A  body  of  carbiniers  attached  to  the 
collection   of  the   customs,   and   whose    ordinary 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  Ill 

duties  lay  on  the  French  frontier,  now  defended 
this  bridge,  and  had  completely  the  air  of  a  be- 
sieged garrison. 

We  made  a  short  halt  at  the  inn,  in  which  a 
party  of  mounted  carbiniers  were  billeted  with 
their  horses.  They  received  Ramon  with  an  em- 
brace. He  appeared,  indeed,  to  be  the  friend  of 
both  parties ;  one  of  them,  however,  seemed  to 
have  some  misgivings  as  to  the  orthodoxy  of  his 
opinions,  and  said  to  him  good-naturedly,  but  as 
would  elsewhere  be  esteemed  most  blasphemously 
— "  no  sois  el  verdadero  Christo,  sois  Christo 
falso,  sois  de  los  contrarios  /"  They  talked  as 
contemptuously  of  the  Carlists  as  the  Carlists  had 
talked  of  them,  drawing  a  comparison  from  the 
relative  value  of  the  real  of  copper  and  of  silver — 
'■  aquellos  sonde  vellon ;  nosotros  somas  de plata  .- 
— those  are  meje  copper ;  .  we  are  the  genuine 
silver!" 

.  As  I  followed  the  vehicle  up  the  hill  on  foot,  I 
attracted  the  attention  of  an  officer,  who  was  smo- 
king in  a  window,,  who  called  to  me  to  walk  up 
stairs ;  and  after  communicating  with  his  chief, 
conducted  me  into  his  presence.  I  found  him  seat- 
ed at  dinner,  beforei  a  low  table,  no  higher  than  his 
knees,  and  surrounded,  as  is  usual  with  Spanish 
chieftains  of  whatever  rank,^with  a  court  of  obse- 


112  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

quious  satellites,  administering  the  homage  which 
the  habits  of  this  class  require.  He  was  an  ill-look- 
ing fellow,  with  huge  whiskers  and  mustaches,  and 
only  half  a  nose.  He  paused,  in  passing  his  fork 
from  a  dish  of  stewed  rice  and  mutton,  to  ask  Avhat 
business  had  conducted  me  into  such  awful  pres- 
ence, and  to  call  for  my  passport,  which,  having 
examined,  he  gave  me  leave  to  retire  with  a  god- 
like nod. 

On  leaving  Caparroso  we  were  joined  by  a 
gigantic  veteran,  dressed  in  a  blue  jacket  faced 
with  red,  and  having  his  huge  person  oddly  sur- 
mounted by  a  tall  infantry  cap,  on  the  front  of 
which  wasaiiscribeid,  in  letters  of  brass — "  charged 
v^ith  the  security  of  the  royal  road."  He  was 
armed  with  a  musket,  fitted  with  a  piston  lock,  and 
a  Moorish-looking  pistol  suspended  from  his  car- 
tridge-belt. He  had,  besides,  a  bayonet  thrust 
through  the  same  belt ;  and  from  the  bosom  of  his 
shirt  protruded  the  handle  of  an  enornaous  knife, 
which  might  serve  a  peaceful  or  deadly  purpose,  as 
occasion  required.  He  had  a  fine,  bold,  frank  face, 
and  a  fulness  and.'  freshness  of  outline  which 
seemed  to  contradict  the  griz^zled  condition  of  his 
beard ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  motley  and  train- 
band appearance  of  his  dress,  his  air  was  decided- 
ly military.     He  was,  in  fact,  ■ah  old  guerilla  sol- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  113 

dier  of  the  war  of  independence ;  and  had  not 
only  served  under  Mina,  but  been  attached  to  his 
person. 

In  late  years  he  had  rendered  himself  famous  in 
the  country  by  turning  out  to  pursue  a  band  of  rob- 
bers ;  and  had  been  taken  into  thei  public  service 
on  the  establishment  of  guardians  in  Navarre.  On 
one  occasion  he  came  suddenly  upon  a  robber, 
leaving  him  no  opportunity  of  escape.  Both  had 
their  muskets  cocked  and  aimed  ;  the  old  gueril- 
lero  kept  closing  up.  "  No  te  arrimes  /'.'  said  the 
robber.  He-  still  approached  ;  the  robber  pulled 
trigger,  and  missed  fire  ;  when  the  old  man  dis- 
charged his  piece  with  a  settled  aim,  and  shot  him 
through  the  heart.  This  was  the  occasion  of  his 
being  made  corporal  of  the  little  band,  consisting  of 
four,  who  are' stationed  in  this  mountain  :  the  pro- 
motion entitling  him  to  seven  reals  a  day,  being  one 
more  than  the  rest  of  his  comrades  have. 

We  had  now  a  long  hill  to  ascend  ;  and  the  old 

man  and  Chrislo  followed  behind  the  cart,  singing 

an  odd  sort  of  song,  the  words  of  which  were  not 

chosen  with  much  delicacy,  and  set  to  a  jingling 

measure.    At  the  top  of  the  hill  they  mounted  into 

the  vehicle,  and  commenced   an   attack   upon  the 

leathern  bottle,  qualified  by  some  very  nice  white 

bread,  which  the  veteran  produced  from  his  knap- 

10*         . 


114  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

sack.  Thfey  then  lit  their  cigars  and  fell  to  talk- 
ing on  various  matters,  expressing  their  opinions 
quietly,  soberly,  and  one  at  a  time.  I  never  was 
inore  struck  with  the- universality  of  the  conversa- 
tional talent  among  the  Spaniards.  They  never  in- 
terrupt each  other  in  the  ill-bred  manner  common 
among  people  of  some  pretension  elsewhere  ;  nor 
do  they  change  the  subject  suddenly  and  abruptly, 
without  any  other  cause  than  may  be  found  in  the 
intellectual  caprices  of  the  parties.  One  subject 
passes  with  them  naturally  into  another ;  and  their 
remarks  are  characterized  by  reason  and  good 
sense,  and  their  arguments  often  illustrated  by 
stories  at  once  apt  and  interesting,  and  enforced  by 
sententious  and  unansvverable  proverbs. 

The  two  worthies  were,  it  seemed,  in  favour  of 
the  Queen,  although  they  had  the  reputation  among 
their  countrymen  of  being  true  men,  or  Carlists. 
The  old  man  drew  his  predilections  from  his  an- 
cient chief,  Mina ;  and  the  other  from  the  circum- 
stance of  having  been  a  voluntary  trooper  in  the 
Constitutional  army,  -and  lost  some  blood  in  the 
cause.  Both  of  them,  however,  had  exhausted 
their  zeal  as  partisans,  and  did  not  dream  of  taking 
arms  on  either  side.  Ramon  said  that,  for  months 
after  the  Constitution  was  put  down  by  the  French 
invasion,  be  was  afraid  to  return  tp  Pamplona,  lest 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  115 

he  should  be  assassinated ;  the  Serviles  having  free 
license  to  kill  all  of  the  opposite  party,  ycleped  the 
Negroes.  When  he  did  return,  he  was  obliged  to 
skulk  like  a  cat  about  the  cave,  garret,  and  dark 
corners  of  his  father's  house.  "No  more  of  this 
amateur  warfare  for  me,"  said  he ;  "•  let-  them  fight 
it  out  among  themselves !" 

The  veteran's  ideas  of  politics,  although  he  was, 
if  any  thing,  in  favour  of  the  Queen,  reduced  them- 
selves to  obedience  to  the  existing  powers.  He 
said  that  it  did  not  belong  to  such  as  he  to  decide 
upon  matters  of  such  high  importance.  He  had 
managed  so  to  conduct  himself  and  do  his  duty  in 
all  situations,  and  under  every  diiferent  system,  as 
to  escape  punishment,  or  even  censure ;  mention- 
ing it  as  a  curious  circumstance  in  the  life  of  a 
Spaniard,  that  he  had  never  been  in  a  prison, 
whether  civil  or  military.  He  attributed  the  pres- 
ent insurrection  in  Navarre,  in  a  great  measure,  to 
the  influence  of  the  clergy..  In  the  war  of  inde- 
pendence, when  he  went  to  confession,  his  spiritual 
father  used  to  say  to  him,  "  Has  rnuerto  a  muchos 
Franceses  hi  jo? — Hast  thou  killed  many  French- 
men, child?"  ^^ Muchos,  padre! — Many,  father!" 
"  Pues  mateis  firme ;  porque  as.i  ganarais  el  cielot 
— Kill  on  boldly,  my  son ;  for  thus  thou  shalt  be 
admitted  into  heaven  I"  ...,'• 


116  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

History  has  told  us  how  well    our   veteran   and 
his  countrymen  obeyed  the  mandate.     In  the  time 
of  the  constitution,  however,  when  the  French  were 
about  to  march  to  restore  despotism  in  Spain,  the 
clergy  spoT^e  in  a  different  strain.     "  Teneis  rencor 
hijo  ? — Dost  thou  hold  any  malice  or  hatred  in  thy 
heart,  my  child  ?" — "Yes,  father!  the  French  are 
coming  among  us,  and  I  long  to  grapple  with  them 
again." — "  Pues   sois   en  pecado   mortal! — Take 
heed,  my  child,  thou  art  in  deadly  sin !     We  are 
all  brethren  of  one  family,  and  children  in  the  Lord. 
Our  neighbours  are  coming  to  sustain  our  blessed 
religion  and  the  holy  church,  which  sacrilegious 
hands  have  attenipted  to  cast  down."     Now,  again, 
the  doctrine  was  that  Carlos  was  the  true  king,  the 
friend  of  the  church,  the  anointed  of  the   Lord. 
The  Queen  was  a  frail  and  sinful  woman,  who 
was  bringing  back  the  liberals  to  destroy  religion, 
seize   the   goods   of  the   church,   and  murder   its 
ministers.     The  French,  who  were  threatening  to 
come  again  to  Spain  on  a  very  different  errand, 
were  children  of  the  devil,  and  were  to  be  treated 
accordingly. 

Though  the  eloquence  of  the  priest  was  lost  on 
the  individual  in  question,  the  same  arguments  fell 
differently  on  others.  Hence  the  insurrectionary 
spirit  which  has  everywhere  manifested  itself.    He 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  117 

who  will  read  and  ponder  on  these  words  from  the 
confessional,  will  learn  much  of  the  modes  of 
thought  and  the  motives  of  action  among  the  Span- 
iards, and  perhaps  may  see  the  expediency,  instead 
of  attempting  to  fashion  and  adapt  a  people  to  a 
government,  to  allow  the  government  to  remain, 
until  times  arid  circumstances  change,  in  harmony 
with  the  wishes  of  the  people.  Tranquillity  is  the 
first  want  of  nations ;  and  it  is  only  to  be  found 
where  the  government  is  in  harmony  with  the 
wants,  the  condition,  and  the  prejudices  of  the  gov- 
erned. .  .     •        . 

We  had  now  got  fairly  beyond  the  customary 
haunts  of  the  Carlist  bands,  and  travelled  with  a 
lighter  heart.  Our  day's  journey  was  therefore 
prolonged,  so  that  it  was  after  dusk  when  we  reach- 
ed the  village  of  Valtierra.  No  less  than  six  carts 
and  galeras,  with  each  a  fair  proportion  of  travel 
lers  and  a  due  share  of  muleteers,  had  already 
arrived,  insomuch  that  we  found  axircle  around  the 
kitchen  fire,  which  filled  nearly  the  Whole  room; 
it  was,  however,  still  further  enlarged,  as  we  en- 
tered, to  make  place  for  us.  There  was  a  ser- 
geant's wife  with  her  baby,  two  others  woman  of 
somewhat  equivocal  character,  a  serious-looking  mdi- 
vidual,  who  appeared  much  shocked  at  the  levity. 
of  the  company  and  the  profanity  of  Ramon,  gnd 


118  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

whom  I  thence  conjectured  to  be  an  absconding 
clergynaan,  on  his  way  to  join  the  defenders  of  the 
throne  and  altar.  There  was  a  great  variety  of 
other  characters,  and  three  or  four  women  belongs 
ing  to  the  inn,  including  a  very  pretty  girl,  who  was 
niece  to  the  mistress  of  the  house.  They  all  re- 
ceived Christo  with  a  tumult  of  acclamation,  and 
seemed  enchanted  at  the  prospect  of  passing  an 
evening  enlivened  by  his  society. 

The  group,  of  which  we  now  became  part,  was 
a  very  characteristic  one ;  upon  no  figure  compo- 
sing it,  however,  did  the  glare  from  the  chimney 
fall  with  so  remarkable  an  effect  as  upon  the  tow- 
ering form  of  our  veteran  escort,  and  upon  his  mot- 
■  ley  yet  formidable  equipment.  He  took  his  seat 
"beside  two  friars  of  the  order  of  Saint  Dominick: 
one  a  young  man  of  nineteen,  having  a  great 
deal  of  levity  in  his  manner ;  the  other  somewhat 
older,  with  an  affected  air  of  gravity,  which  he 
managed  to  get  fid  ofj  in  the  excitement  of  a  game 
of  cards,  in  the  course  of  the  evening.  He  was  a 
coarse,  gross,  over-fed  creature,  with  a  mixture  of 
hypocrisy  and  sensuality  in  his  countenance.  The 
younger  one,  it  seems,  had  absconded  from  his 
convent  in  Pamplona ;  he  had  been  captured  in 
Zaragoza,  and  confined  in  a  convent  of  his  order, 
and  was  now  returning  with  a  brother,  who  had 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  119 

been  sent  for  him,  as  a  prisoner.  Perhaps  the 
young  man  had  tired  of  masses  and  vigils,  and 
found  that  he  had  mistaken  his  calhng.  Maybe 
the  half-smothered  passion  of  his  boyish  days  had 
revived  in  his  bosom,  and  he  had  gone  to  see  again 
the  girl  whom  his  young  heart  had  cherished.  The 
two  were  travelling  on  one  mule,  as  they  said, 
riding  each  in  turn,  and  I  secretly  hoped  that  the 
young  monk  might  be  enabled  to  ride  away  the 
next  day  from  his  custody. 

The  sergeant's  wife  was  by  far  the  most  talka- 
tive personage  of  the  party.  She  regaled  the  com- 
pany with  a  history  of  her  whole  life ;  told  how  her 
husband  had  been  in  a  regiment  of  the  royal  guards, 
where  they  fared  well,  gaining  much  money  with 
little  labour.  He  had  given  up  his  situation,  and 
accepted  his  retreat,  in  order  to  procure  an  office 
about  the  post  establishment  in  his  native  town ; 
but,  when  he  came  to  take  possession,  the  chief 
demanded  an  ounce  of  gold  for  him,  and,  on  his 
not  being  able  to  produce  the  sum,  conferred  the 
place  upon  another.  She  looked  back  with  regret 
to  the  merry  days  in  the  guards,  when  life  hung 
lightly  on  their  hands,  and  they  united  the  advan- 
tages, dear  to  every  Spanish  bosom,  of  having 
"  mucho  dinero  con  poco  trabajo — much  money 
for  little  work." 


120  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

When  the  party  was  ushered  into  the  supper-hall, 
the  sergeant's  wife  remained  economically  behind, 
complaining  of  want  of  appetite,  and  asking  for  a 
little  broth.  This  gave  the  suspicious  females 
aforesaid  an  opportunity  to  pull  her  character  to 
pieces  during  supper.  It  seems  they  had  been  her 
fellow-travellers  in  a  galera;  and  they  protested, 
with  a  well-bred  air  of  superiority  and  a  toss  of  the 
head,  that  she  was  the  most  tedious  and  disagree- 
able woman  to  travel  with — "  la  muger  mas  inco- 
modd!'' — that  their  experience  had  brought  them 
acquainted  with.  ^^  Jesus  que  muger  T  exclaimed 
onip  of  them.  The  other,  in  attempting  to  tell  how 
disagreeable  she  was,  stopped  short  in  her  dis- 
course, like  an  orator  in  the  House  of  Commons 
unable  to  express  by  words  the  fulness  of  his 
thoughts,  and  at  length  said,  "  Vamos .'"  meaning 
thereby  that  every  thing  should  be  understood  that 
the  listener  could  fancy.  Is  there  no  English  word 
of  equal  value,  that  could  be  used  in  the  same  way 
to  terminate  a  discourse  in  the  middle  without 
leaving  the  sense  incomplete  ? 

The  supper  being  over,  Ramon  got  possession 
of  a  cracked  guitar  that  hung  against  the  wall,  and 
commenced  scratching  away  some  jingling  notes, 
which  he  accompanied  with  words,  rather  passion- 
ate than  sentimental.      He   succeeded  not  only, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  121 

however,  in  making  a  patient  listener  of  the  land- 
lady's beautiful  niece,  but  even  persuaded  her  to 
stand  opposite,  as  he  sang,  played,  looked  unutter- 
able things,  and  danced,  all  at  the  same  time.  The 
young  girl  snapped  her  fingers  in  time  to  let  off 
the  exuberance  of  her  vivacity ;  one  of  the  other 
women,  producing  a  pair  of  castanets  from  her  bag, 
commenced  stepping  out  on  her  own,  account,  and 
the  ball  was  regularly  opened.  •  Ramon's  song  at 
first  ran  thus,  in  compliment,  I  suppose,  to  his 
partner,  who  was  somewhat  under  sized : 

"  Para  qiie  es  bii^na  la  muger  chiquitilla? 
La  muger  chiquitilla  es  un  regalo ; 
Mas  vale  lo  poco  y  bueno  •  ".     • 

Que  lo  mucho  y  malo."  '      ■ 

By-and-by  he  touched  a  more*  passionate  strain, 

and  seemed  to  explain  himself : 

*         "  •     - 

"  Aqui  esta  el  palillo :  "     . 

Y  aqui  esta  puesto  en  su  lugar; "  • 
Aqui  esta  para  ti  Pepa, 

Y  aqui  esta  para, que  tu  lo  sepa !" 
VOL.  I. — F  11  ■      ^ 


122  SPAIN  REVISITED. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


VALTIEKRA  AND  ALAGON. 


The  Ebro — Tudela — Environs— The  Inn — New  Comrade — His  Sto- 
ry— Battle  of  Espileta — Political  Economy  in  Navarre — Mallen 
in  Aragon — New  Kingdom  and  New  Politics — Sheep  and  Shep- 
herds—A Woman  from  the  Mountains — Canal  of  Aragon. 

The  next  morning  saw  us  in  motion  at  the  usual 
hour.  We  had  taken  up,  as  a  passenger,  a  lad  of 
twelve  years,  who  was  returning,  from  a  visit  to  a 
near  relation,  to  his  father's  house  in  Mallen.  He 
was  full  of  life  and  spirits,  and  ran  beside  the  mules 
the  greater  part  of  tlie  day,  urging  them  to  quicken 
their  pace  by  voice  and  whip,  in  consequence  of 
which  we  got  on  much  more  rapidly,  our  mules 
being  habitually  very  slow,  and  Ramon  too  good- 
natured  to  quarrel  with  them;  besides,  as  he  stop- 
ped to  drink  and  joke  at  every  inn  and  brandy-shop, 
it  was  quite  convenient  to  him  that  they  should  not 
be  in  a  hurry.  .        '  . 

Towards  noon  we  entered  the  olive-orchards  of 
Tudela ;  after  traversing  which  we  found  ourselves 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ebro,  with  a  very  old  bridge 
conducting  to  Tudela.  This  place  v^as  the  site  of 
a  battle  of  some  note  during  the  strugglq  with  the 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  123 

French,  and  remnants  of  its  extensive  fortifications 
are  s-till  seen.     Every  thing  bears  the  impress  of 
remote  antiquity;  the  bridge,  the  city  walls,  the 
towers  of  the   churches,  the  gloomy  olive-trees, 
and  the  wornout-looking,  arid  sandhills,  cut  into 
deep  ravines,  which  bound  the  prospect.     There 
was  one  object,  however,  which,  in  a  gayer  season 
of  the  year,  must  have  been  more  than  beautiful ; 
a  little  island  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  known 
by  the  pretty  name  of  La  Mejana,  elaborately  cul- 
tivated, and  divided  into  small  gardens  and  orchards, 
with  arbours  and  summer-houses,  the  property  of 
the  rich  families  of  Tudela,  who  repair  thither  in 
the  fine  season  to  eat,  dance,  sing,  and  enjoy  the 
simple  pleasures  which  belong  to  the  manners  of 
the  country.     A  few  canoes  and  larger  boats  of 
rude  construction  were  fastened  to  the,  piers  of  the 
bridge,   or  moored  along  the   shore;   mules    and 
horses  were  driven  to  the  river  to  drink  and  bathe, 
and  there  were  also  the  customary  groups  of  chant- 
ing washerwomen.     • 

The  bridge  of  Tudela,  hke  that  of  Caparroso, 
was  carefully  fortified  :  and  we  were  again  recon- 
noitred by  filthy  collectors  of  the  customs  and  po- 
licemen. We  made  our  usual  halt  at  the  principal 
inn,  which  bore  additional  evidence  to  the. fact  that 
almost  every  mn  in   Spain  has  a  different  sort  of 

F  2 


124  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

chimney.  Here  the  fireplace  was  in  the  centre  of 
the  room,  on  a  circular  platform,  elevated  above 
the  level  of  the  rest  of  the  floor,  and  overhung  by 
a  chimney,  precisely  of  the  form  of  an  inverted 
funnel,  and  supported  entirely  from  above ;  the 
frame  being  df  wood,  coated  with  plaster.  The 
landlady  was  blustering  and  scolding,  which  I  was 
-somewhat  resigned  to,  as  every  thing  was  exceed- 
ingly neat ;  and,  from  former  experience,  this  led 
me  to  anticipate  a  good  dinner — that  is,  accord- 
ing to  the  new  standard  which  my  stomach  was 
beginning  to  establish  for  itself.  Her  daughter 
was  pretty  and  attractive  ;  she  seemed  to  be  in  the 
process  of  education  for  a  fine  lady,  and  was  likely 
to  prove  less  thrifty  than  her  mamma;  'however, 
she  took  a  trifling  share  in  the  duties  of  the  kitchen, 
pausing  occasionally,  to  contemplate  her  own  face 
in  a  bit  of  broken  mirror  set  in  the  window-shutter, 
or  to  coquet  through  the  gratings  with  a  passing 
muleteer. 

Ramon  had  disappeared  at  the  bridge,  leaving 
the  mules  to  find  their  way  alone  to  the  inn.  After 
an  hour  or  more  he  made  his  appearance,  bringing 
with  him  a  young  man,  who,  he  said,  was  his 
brother-in-law,  and  was  to  be  our  companion  to 
Zaragoza.  In  the  course  of  the  joQr'ney  he  related 
his  whole  history  to  me.    He  was  a  tailor  by  trade, 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  125 

and  several  jears  before  he  had  married  Ramon's 
sister,  receiving  with  her  a  dowry  of  thirty  ounces 
of  gold.  He  established  a  good  shop,  and  soon 
advanced  himself  by  contracting  to  clothe  a  regi- 
ment garrisoned  in  Pamplona.  He  was  enabled 
to  do  this  profitably  at  a  low  price,  by  smuggling 
the  materials  from  France,  whence  he  afterward 
brought  other  fancy  articles  ;  he  then  took  a  lar- 
ger house,  and  added  a  haberdashery  to  his  work- 
shop. He  was  now  making  money  fast,  and  prom- 
ised soon  to  be  a  rich  man.  He  had  found  it 
necessary,  however,  to  join  two  of  his  most  inti- 
mate friends  with  him  in  introducing  his  goods. 
He  had  embarked  every  thing  he  possessed  in  a 
large  speculation,  by  which  he  expected  to  double 
his  fortune  at  a  single  cast.  His  two  friends  hav- 
ing safely  crossed  the  frontier  with  him,  remained 
without  the  walls  of  Pamplona,  and  were  to  meet 
him  at  a  given  hour  under  the  arches  of  the  bridge. 
He  was  punctual  to  the  engagement,  but  they: 
were  nowhere  to  be  seen;  and  the  night  was 
passed  by  him  in  the  most  intense  anxiety,  but 
without  any  results.  Taking  it  for  granted  that" 
his  friends  had  been  frightened  off  by  the  carbi- 
niers, he  went  home  to  seek  rest  from  his  fatigues 
and  anxiety.  But  the  next  night  found  him  again 
at  his  post,  and,  as  before,  gin  anxious  and  unsuc- 

11* 


126  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

cessful  watcher.  He  now  began  to  suspect  treach- 
ery;  and  time  proved  that  his  best  friends  had  be- 
trayed and  robbed  him.  He  was  a  ruined  man  ;  and 
as  the  law  could,  in  such  a  case,  give  him  no  reme- 
dy, he  determined  to  give  it  to  himself.  The  men, 
however,  did  not  return.  He  searched  the  country, 
high  and  low  ;  visited  every  neighbouring  city,  and 
haunted  the  shops,  to  discover  if  his  goods  were 
exposed  to  sale,  determined  to  trace  out  and  mur- 
der his  false  betrayers  ;  but  after  wasting  a  month 
in  this  way,  finding  himself  worse  off  than  before, 
he  sold  every  thing,  paid  his  debts,  and  bade  adieu 
to  the  scene  of  his  misfortune.  He  was  now  set- 
tled in  Tudela,  ostensibly  working  at  his  trade,  but 
really  and  principally  engaged  in  introducing  con- 
traband goods  into  Aragon,  of  which  the  fron- 
tier was  close  at  hand.  ■     . ' 

This  man  was  a  great  schemer.  He  had  dis- 
covered that  the^  cutlers  of  Zaragoza  were  sorely 
perplexed  for  the  want  of  a  proper  material  to  make 
handles  for  their  knives';  for  it  seems  that  the 
sheep  of  that  neighbourhood  have  no  horns,  or 
very  small  ones,  while  -at'  Pamplona  they  have 
them  very  large  :  but  not  being  of  any  use,  they 
■  axe  thrown  away  there ;  and  it  wa&  left  for  him 
then,  in  this  nineteenth  century,  to  discover  and 
open  this  new  branchy  of  trade.     He  had  made  a 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  127 

contract  with  a  cutler  to  furnish  him  with  a  certain 
quantity  of  rams'  horns^  according  to  a  specimen 
first  exhibited.  The  horns  had  been  collected,  and 
were  thrown  into  the  cart  af  starting  from  Tudela, 
and  proved  to  be  very  little^  softer  than  sundry  bags 
of  nails,  which  lay  beyond  the  borders  of  the  straw 
bed  upon  which  I  habitually  reposed.  He  was 
secure  of  a  considerable  profit  on  the  horns  ;  but, 
not  content  with  that,  he  had  introduced  into  the 
centre  of  each  bag  a  quantity  of  horn  combs,  such 
as  are  worn  by  women,  and  which,  though  of  such 
universal  use  in  Spain,  are  all  manufactured  in 
foreign  countries.  The  fellow  was  of  an  enter- 
prising spirit ;  he  could  live  by  his  trade,  he  "said, 
easily  ;  but  that  did  not  satisfy  him  ;  he  must  do 
soiYiething  more  than  live.  This  is  so  uriusual  a 
variety  of  the  Spanish  character,  that  I  expect  one 
of  these  days-  to  find  his  name  added  to  the  list  of 
farmers  general  and  n^wly-made  marquises. 

The  conversation  of  this  young  man  was  very 
interesting.  He  had  been  present  at  the  battle 
which  took,  place  at  Espileta  on  the  twenty-ninth 
of  December,  .about  a  fortnight  before,  and  de- 
scribed its  stirring  scenes  with. wonderful  vividness. 
He  had  gone  to  the  spot  to  offer  his  services  to 
Zumalacaregui,  to  clothe  the  battalions  of  Navarre 
under  his  command,  and  happened  to  be  still  near 


128  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

when  the  bailie  commenced.  The  Queen's  troops 
amounted  to  three  thousand,  and  the  Carhsts  to 
seven  thousand  ;  these  had  the  advantage  of  a 
strong  position  on  the  side  of  a  mountain,  and  a 
higher  elevation  to  retreat  to,  and  they  therefore 
awaited  the  attack  impatiently.  Brandy  had  been 
plentifully  distributed  to  them,  and  they  rent  the 
air  with  songs  which  the  priests  had  prepared  for 
them.  They  would  have  given  up  their  position 
to  assail  the  Queen's  troops,  had  they  not  been  re- 
strained by  their  chief.  The  Queen's  troops  came 
boldly  on,  charging  up-hill,  their  way  being  ob- 
structed by  stones  that  were  rolled  down  upon 
them.  The  contact  was  terrible  ;  twice  were  the 
Queen's  troops  repulsed ;  but  discipline  at  last 
prevailed ;  the  insurgents  were  obliged  to  give 
way,  covered,  however,  from  pursuit,  by  the  nature 
of  the,  ground.  The  next  morning  he  rode  over 
the  scene  of  battle ;  the  bodies  of  the  killed  were 
all  stripped.  He  was  horror-stricken  at  the  sight ; 
and  his  mule,  trembling,  snorting,  and  starting 
away,  compelled  him  to  turn  back. 

This  young  man  had  two  brothers  in  the  Carlist 
army,  both  officers ;  also  one  brother-in-law,  the 
brother  of  Ramon,  a  graceless  rogue,  known 
tluroughout  the  country  by  the  nickname  of  Saint 
Joseph.     It  was  easy  to  conceive  that  he  should 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  129 

be  also  of  that  way  of  thinking,  and  of  the  party 
which  may  be  called  national  in  Navarre.  He 
thought,  indeed,  that  it  would  be  better  for  Spain 
that  Carlos  should  be  king.  Carlos  was  fond  of 
the  army,  and  would  have  a  very  large  one ;  this 
army  must  of  course  be  clothed,  and  hence  abun- 
dant  employment  for  the  tailors,  and  plentiful 
circulation  of  money  throughout  the  provinces. 
"  What  is  the  reason,"  said  he,  "  that  France  is  so 
rich  and  powerful  ?  Because  she  has  a  large  army 
to  consume  the  produce  of  the  country,  and  keep 
the  people  employed."  Such  was  the  political 
economy  of  the  brother-in-law  of  Ramon  the  car- 
man ;  and  it  is  that  of  more  than  nine  Spaniards 
in  ten,  who  cannot  lay  claim  to  half  so  much  quick- 
ness and  ingenuity  as  the  worthy  tailor.  It  was 
very  curious  too  to  hear  him  discuss  the  relative 
claims  of  different  countries  to  be  esteemed  civil- 
ized. He  contended  that  England  was  the  first 
country  in  the  world.  I  ventured,  for  the  sake  of 
hearing  what  he  had  to  say,  to  suggest  a  doubt 
whether  France  might  not  be  placed  before  her. 
"  Look  at  an  English  coat,  or  an  English  hat,  or  a 
knife,  a  scissors,  or  a  razor,"  said  he,  "  and  tell  me 
whether  England  be  not  the  greatest  nation  ?" 
He  accounted  very  sensibly  for  the  popularity  of 
the  insurrection  in  Navarre,  and  gave,  among  other 

F  3 


130  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

reasons,  the  enhanced  value  of  all  the  necessaries 
of  life;  bread,  wine,  oil,  and  others,  which  are  the 
chief  productions  of  the  country. 

Towards  the  close  of  day  we  approached  the 
co"%es  of  Navarre  and  Aragon.  The  town  of 
Mailen,  with  its  gloomy,  mud-coloured  houses,  and 
the  ancient  tower  of  its  church,  had  gradually 
grown  upon  our  view  during  the  whole  afternoon. 
It  was  the  first  town  of  the  kingdom  of  Aragon ; 
the  frontier  being  marked  by  two  stone  barriers 
placed  on  either  hand,  immediately  opposite  which 
the  made  road  broke  off  suddenly,  and  from  the 
smooth  commodious  causeway  of  Navarre  we 
passed  at  once  into  sloughs  and  quagmires.  It 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  mules, 
which  hitherto  had  drawi^  the  cart  with  ease,  could 
now  drag  it  forward,  although  they  had  the  imme- 
diate prospect  of  repose  for  the  night,  and  the  cus- 
tomary ration  of  barley.  This  difference  is  owing 
to  the  greater  privileges  of  Navarre,  which  regu- 
■  lates  its  own  roads,  while  the  Aragonese  pay  the 
subsidy  to  the  government,  which,  instead  of  watch- 
ing over  their  interests  and  providing  for  their 
greatest  wants,  lavishes  their  money  on  courtiers, 
.or  spends  it  in  the  support  of  soldiers. for  their 
subjugation. 

The  evening  assemblage  about  the  kitchen  fire, 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  131 

at  the  mn  of  Mallen,  brought  together  the  alcalde, 
the  notary,  and  all  the  village  dignitaries.  In  their 
political  opinions,  which  were  very  free,  there  was 
a  striking  distinction  from  those  entertained  a  mile 
off,  on  the  other  side  of  the  frontier  of  Navarre, 
most  of  those  present  being  partisans  of  Christina. 
The  difference  in  the  condition  of  the  high  road, 
and  the  duties  levied  in  this  very  place  on  all  arti- 
cles entering  for  their  consumption,  might  very  well 
help  them  to  such  a  conclusion,  the  name  of  Chris- 
tina being  a  rallying  word  to  the  Constitutionals, 
who  are  inclined  to  equalize  the  condition  of  all  the 
provinces.  •     '  . 

In  the  morning  the  air  was  cool,  and  I  set  for- 
ward on  foot.  In  passing  through  the  market- 
place, there  were  many  peasants  collected  about 
the  adjoining  tower  of  the  church : ,  they  had  prob- 
ably heard  mass,  and  were  now  waiting  patiently 
to  see  if  any  farmer  should  come  to  employ  them. 
Their  dress  was  entirely  different  from  that  which 
is  worn  in  Navarre,  all  wearing  jackets  of  velvet' or 
fustian,  breeches  of  the  same,  stockings  M'ithout 
feet,  and  hempen  sandals ;  some  had  enormous 
hats,  but  more  had  no  other  covering  for  the  head 
than  a  cotton  handkerchief.  Most  of  them  were 
enveloped  in  the  manta'  or  striped  blanket,  which 
is  the  substitute  for  the  cloak  among  the  poorer 


132  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

classes.  I  was  singularly  struck  with  the  sudden 
change  of  costume  at  the  mere  passing  of  the 
boundary  between  two  provinces  of  the  same 
kingdom,  far  greater  than  that  which  occurs  at  the 
frontier,  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  the  almost 
perfect  identity  between  the  dress  and  that  which 
is  worn  in  the  remote  territory  of  Valencia.  The 
cause  of  this  identity  may  be  found  in  the  circum- 
stance of  Valencia  having  been  conquered  and 
Christianized  in  bygone  centuries  by  the  kingdom 
of  Aragon,  and  thus  the  costumes  of  Spain,  in  this 
and  in  other  instances,  may  be  used  to  illustrate  her 
history. 

Nothing  can  be  more  utterly  gloomy  than  the 
country  about  Mallen.  As  there  was  no  made 
road,  we  rambled  along,  choosing  our  way  among 
the  variety  of  diverging  paths  which  travellers  had 
beaten  before  us,  rising  and  descending  over  hills 
and  into  hollows  of  inconsiderable  depths.  In 
looking  forward  the  face  of  the  country  seemed 
quite  level,  just  as  the  sea  does  in  the  distance, 
however  the  waves  may  yawn  around  you.  The 
soil  was  parched  and  steril,  and  there  were  no 
plantations  for  miles.  The  only  signs  of  life  were 
exhibited  by  an  occasional  flock  of  sheep,  of  a 
brown  colour,  the  original  hue  of  the  paho  pardo, 
so  universally  worn  by  poor  Spaniards.     The  con- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  133 

trast  between  it  and  the  sombre  hues  of  the  soil, 
over  which  the  sheep  rambled,  was  so  shght,  that 
their  motion  alone  rendered  them  perceptible  at  any 
distance.  The  shepherd  himself  is  ever  clad,  in 
Spain,  in  the  same  material  as  his  flock.  We 
passed  one  whose  garments  -  were  of  the  same 
brown  fleece  as  the  sheep  that  clustered  round 
him,  with  a  familiarity  unknown  in  countries  where 
the  pastor  and  his  flock  are  not  so  thoroughly  iden- 
tified. A  dusky  ass  stood  hard  by,  with  a  pensive 
and  resigned  air;  a  pair  of  cotton  saddlebags  was 
suspended  over  its  back,  and  the  rest  of  its  body 
was  concealed  under  the  tattered  remains  of  a 
brown  cloak.  The  shepherd  was  leaning  on  his 
crook,  with  his  hands  clasped,  the  right  leg  thrown 
over  the  left;  the  expression  of  his  face  denoted 
contentment,  peace  of  mind,  and  contemplation, 
while  his  attitude  called  to  mind  the  classic  forms 
of  some  ancient  statue. 

At  noon  we  reached  an  obscure  venta,  hidden 
away  in  a  barranca  or  hollow  so  effectually  as  not 
to  be  seen  half  a  mile  off,  although  the  new  tower 
of  Zaragoza  was  already  visible  at  the  distance  of 
more  than  twenty.  These  breaks  occur  constantly 
in  the  central  portions  of  Spain,  and  form  a  very 
remarkable  feature  of  the  scenery,  Here  was  a 
young  woman  from  the  neighbouring  mountains  in 

12 


134  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

the  capacity  of  maid,  with  a  rich  brown  face,  and 
coarse,  shining  black  hair,  and  of  such  strength  in 
the  arms,  that,  although  only  of  the  interesting  age 
of  fourteen,  she  not  only  effectually  resisted  Ra- 
mon's efforts  to  seize  a  kiss  from  her,  but  finished 
by  giving  him  a  sound  drubbing  for  his  imperti- 
nence, together  with  sundry  by  no  means  gentle 
blows  to  others  of  the  by-standers. 

As  we  continued  our  journey  the  scene  changed 
magically,  and  we  saw  how  the  hand  of  industry 
could  convert;  this  sunburnt  and  apparently  barren 
soil  into  a  garden  of  fertility.  We  found  ourselves 
on  the- banks  of  the  canal  of  Aragon,  and  surrounded 
by  olive-orchards,  vineyards,  and  wheat-fields.  The 
canal  of  Aragon  was  originally  commenced  by  the 
Emperor  Charles  V.',  who  completed  it  throughout 
a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles.  After  an  interval 
of  two  centuries,  the  work  was  renewed  during  the 
benign  reign  of    Charles    III.,    under    the   direc-  J| 

tion  of  Pignatelli,  an  engineer  of  Aragon,  and  con- 
tinued for  sixty-three  miles.  The  object  of  it  is 
to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  navigating  the  Ebro, 
whose  course  it  follows,  and  to  furnish  the  means 
of  irrigation  to  an  extent  of  country  not  susceptible 
of  profitable  cultivation  without  it.  It  begins  near 
Tudela  and  extends  beyond  Zaragoza,  beginning 
and  ending  in  the  Ebro,  which  is  thus  rendered 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  135 

navigable  for  vessels  of  one  hundred  tons  burden, 
from  Navarre  to  the  Mediterranean.  Its  width  is 
seventy  feet  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  with  a 
depth  of  ten;  and  the  construction  throughout  is 
said  to  bear  that  character  of  hardihood  and  excel- 
lence for  which  the  fortifications  and  engineering 
works  of  Spain  are  so  i-emarkable.  The  wealth  of 
the  country  has  augmented  immeasurably  by  the 
opening  of  this  canal :  more  than  a  million  of  trees 
have  been  planted  on  its  banks,  and  thousands  of 
new  plantations,  fertilized  by  its  irrigating  streams, 
have  sprung  up  to  furnish  nourishment  and  support 
to  man,  and  the  animals  which  alleviate  his  toils. 

The  kingdom  of  Aragon  pays  a  tax  on  this  canal 
of  five  thousand  dollars,  which  is  covered  by  the 
tolls  of  navigation  alone.  The  rents  received  for 
irrigation  are  far  more  considerable,- amounting  to 
no  less  than  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  i  The 
fields  which  enjoy  it  are  taxed  at  the  rate  of  one 
fifth  of  their  produce  for  cofn,-  and  a  seventh  of  all 
other  productions.  A  small  portion  of  this  sum  is 
annually  expended  in  cleansing  the  bed  of  the  canal 
and  keeping  the  works  in  repair:  this  is  done  every 
winter,  the  bed  being  empty  as  I  passed  it.  At 
all  other  times  there  is  a  bateau  running  between 
the  port  near  Tudela  and  Zaragoza,  furnishing 
a  favourite  excursion  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  cap- 
ital, and  a  very  agreeable  conveyance  for  travellers 


136  SPAIN  REVISITED. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ALAGON    AND    ZARAGOZA. 

The  Fish  of  Alagon — Alagon — Return  of  Flocks — A  Merry-andrew 
— The  Theatre  in  Alagon — La  Jota  Aragonesa — Alarming  Inter- 
ruption-^Military  Lodgers  and  Involuntary  Hospitality — Troopers 
at  the  Inn — Departure  from  Alagon — Zaragoza  and  the  New  Tower 
— Gale  of  the  Ebro — Epistle  of  an  Hostler. 

In  the  evening  we  began  to  approach  the  town 
of  Alagon.  It  is  from  this  place  that  is  derived 
the  familiar  proverb — "  dearer  than  the  fish  of  Ala- 
gon— mas  caro  que  el  jpez  de  Alagon  ,•"  used  to 
imply  that  a  man  has  paid  dear  for  his  whistle. 
In  timee  past  there  was  a  certain  captain-general 
of  Aragon,  who  was  a  great  gourmand,  and,  conse- 
quently, very  fond  of  salmon ;  of  which  delicious  edi- 
ble he  was  in  the  habit  of  receiving  a  weekly  sup- 
ply from  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  Of  course,  the  mule- 
teer who  brought  it  passed  regularly  through  Ala- 
gon, on  his  way  to  the  vice-regal  palace  in  Zara- 
goza ;  and  the  worthy  alcalde  of  the  village  having 
nothing  better  to  do,  had  often  held  converse  with 
the  passing  muleteer,  and  made  himself  acquainted 
with  his  affairsi  ^  At  length  he  took  into  his  head 
that  this  said  salmon,  which  was  so  nice  a  thing  in 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  137 

the  mouth   of  a   captain-general,  could   not  well 
prove  unsavoury  in  that  of  an  alcalde.     So  one 
day  he  stopped  the  returning  muleteer,  and  told 
him  that  he  must  have  some  of  his  fish.     In  vain 
did  the  reluctant  muleteer  protest  that  his  excellen- 
cy would  be  in  despair,  and  that  he  would  be  ruin- 
ed ;  he  insisted  upon  taking  some  of  the  best  fish, 
and  promised  to  pay  for  them  at  the  same  rate 
as    the    viceroy    should   pay    for   the   remainder. 
The  disconsolate  muleteer  went  his  way,  and  ar- 
rived in  due  time   in  Zaragoza.  -  Of  course,  his 
coming  was  attended  with  vast  excitement.    Cook, 
scullions,  and  major-domo,  courtiers  and  parasiteS; 
placemen  and  pretenders  to  become  so,  were  all 
in  a  terror  of  dismay  when  they  heard  of  the  disas- 
trous  deficiency.     The  -matter  was   broken  with 
caution  to  the  insulted  potentate,  and  the  muleteer 
ushered  into  his  presence.    "  How  is  it,  my  friend, 
that  thou  hast  come  so  scantily  provided  ?" — "  May 
it  please  your  excellency,  the  alcalde   of  Alagon 
has  laid  hands  upon  the  best  of  the  fish ;  he  says 
that  he  has  as  nice  a  tooth  as  your  excellency,  and 
that  he  will  pay  for  those  which  he  has  retained 
whatever  your  excellency  shall  pay  for  the  remain- 
der."— "  Tell  the  major-domo  to  pay  thee  a  pound 
of  gold  for  each  pound  of  salmon,  and  go  in  peace." 
The  muleteer  did  as  he  was  ordered,  and  received 

12* 


138  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

the  money  with  the  best  grace  he  could,  and  of 
course  lost  no  time  in  going  in  search  of  more  fish. 
At  Alagon  he  had  an  interview  with  the  worthy 
alcalde,  and  asked  if  the  fish  were  not  indeed  as 
fit  food  for  an  alcalde  as  for  a  captain-general. 
The  alcalde  pronounced  it  a  delicious  morsel,  and 
professed  his  intention  to  eat  it  often.  He  sent  his 
willing  hand  in  search  of  the  pistareens  that  were  to 
pay  for  it,  and  begged  to  know  what  his  excellency 
had  given.  "A  pound  of  gold  for  a  pound  of 
salmon !"  was  the  answer,  which  broke  like  thun- 
der on  the  alcalde's  ear ;  he  was  a  ruined  man ;  he 
had  eaten  up  his  whole  substance — house,  lands? 
sheep,  mules,  and  oxen,  at  a  single  meal.  The 
word  salmon  was  of  course  no  very  pleasant  one 
in  his  ears  afterward ;  neither  is  it  in  those  of  the 
natives  of  Alagon  to  this  day.;  against  whom  the 
proverb  is  used  as  a  reproach,  and  the  words  "  mas 
cardqii'e  eipez  de  Alagon'''  are  now  uttered  there  by 
a  stranger  under  terror  of  his  life. 

As  Ramon  completed  the  foregoing  story,  we 
entered  the  town  through  environs  thickly  planted 
with  vineyards'  and  olives.  The  sun  had  declined 
in  splendour  behind  the  heights  of  Moncayo,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  both  man  and  beast, 
were  returning  to  seek  the  shelter  and  protec- 
tion  of  their  respective    homes.     This    evening 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  139 

scene  reminded  me  of  the  regular  muster  which 
takes  place  at  the  close  of  day  in  every  well-regu- 
lated man-of-war,  when  the  accustomed  sound 
summons  each  man  to  his  gun.  Mules  and  horses 
arrived  in  dozens  in  one  direction,  breaking  up  at 
each  corner  into  so  many  separate  detachments ; 
in  another  came  the  dusky  asses,  on  many  of  • 
which  the  village  boys  had  mounted,  and  were 
striving  to  urge  the  meek  little  animals  into  a  race  ; 
then  the  shepherd  with  his  flocks  slowly  traversed 
the  main  street,  giving  time  to  his  charge  to  escape 
from  the  press  and  dart  each  into  his  own  doorway. 
I  followed  in  their  train,  and  took-  a  real  pleasure 
in  watching  all  their  movements ;  it  enabled  me 
too  to  get  an  idea  of  the  wealth  and  consequence 
of  each  inhabitant,  in  a  simple  state  of  society, 
where  the  fortune  of  an  individual,  as  in  patriarchal 
times,  is  measured  by  the  amount  of  his  flocks. 
The  flock  of  the  shepherd  was  at  length  reduced 
to  only  three  or  four,  one  of  which  carried  the  bell, 
and  a  lank  dog,  which  trotted  in  the  rear.  These, 
from  their  familiarity,  were  evidently  his  own  prop- 
erty ;  they  pressed  close  after  him,  rubbing  against 
him  aff'ectionately.  He  stopped,  at  length,  at  an 
humble  cottage,  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  village ; 
a  tidy  dame  was  at  the  door,  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  her  partner ;  and  three*  or  four  chubby  children, 


140  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

attracted  by  the  sound  of  the  famihar  belJ,  were 
running  forward  to  receive  the  caresses  of  the 
father  and  his  faithful  companion. 

When  all  had  gathered  themselves  within  I  re- 
turned to  the  square.  It  was  filled  with  gossiping 
groups  of  women  and  peasants,  returning,  with 
their  implements  of  husbandry,  from  the  labours  of 
the  day ;  others  drove  asses  laden  with  frunings 
from  the  vines  and  olive-trees,  which  were  to  give 
warmth  and  cheerfulness  to  the  circles  about  their 
firesides.  Presently  the  attention  of  all  was  at*- 
tracted  by  the  tapping  of  a  drum,  advancing  to- 
wards the  square.  It  was  beaten  by  a  tall,  hungry, 
lantern-jawed  looking  individual,  in  a  threadbare 
surtout,  who  advanced  with  a  long  train  of  follow- 
ers, which  he  had  collected,  including  all  the  lads 
of  the  village.  He  paused  in  the  square  to  an- 
nounce himself  as  a  great  titerero  and  comedian 
from  the  capital,  who  had  been  attracted  to  those 
parts  by  the  desire  of  amusing  the  illustrious  in- 
habitants of  Alagon,  and  that,  in  order  to  effect  that 
object,  he  would  presently  proceed  to  exhibit  his 
extraordinary  powers  to  such  curious  and  intelli- 
gent persons  as  should  favour  him  with  their  com- 
pany. 

I  determined  to  attend  the  exhibition,  which 
seemed  to  attract  vast  attention  in  the  village,  and 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  141 

was  likely  to  bring  together  all  whose  fortunes 
admitted  of  their  expending  the  extraordinary  sum 
of  nearly  two  cents  that  was  demanded  for  admit- 
tance. The  place  elevated  to  the  temporary  dig- 
nity of  a  theatre,  was  the  large  garret  used  as  a 
granary,  which  belonged  to  the  village  council, 
whose  hall  was  adjoining.  At  one  extremity  -\^as 
a  raised  platform  which  formed  the  stage,  while  the 
drop-scene  consisted  of  sundry  dirty  blankets,  sus- 
pended from  a  rope  stretched  from  side  to  side.  A 
table  was  placed  in  front  of  this,  with  an  array  of 
tin'  cups  to  be  used  in  the  display  of  jugglery ; 
while  the  recess  behind  the  scene  -  served  as  a 
withdrawing-place  for  dressing  and  the  concoction 
of  the  tricks.  In  front  was  the  audience,  clustered 
together  and  seated  on  the  floor,  excepting  a  few 
ladies,  forming  the  aristocracy  of  the  place,  who 
were  furnished  with  chairs  at  one  side.  A  few 
older  persons,  who  were  too  dignified  to  sit  on  the 
floor,  stood  erect  without  the  circle.  Among  these 
I  noticed  one  man  in  an  immense  flapped  hat,  and 
an  ample  cloak,  which  was  thrown  over  his  shoul- 
der, and  eflectually  concealed  the  remainder  of  his 
face  :  he  was  a  genuine  Spaniard,  such  as  I  had 
got  an  idea  of  from  picture-books  in  my  boyish 
days. 

The  company,  finding  that  the  mountebank  was 


142  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

likely  to  waste  a  long  time  in  preparation  and  de- 
lays suited  to  convey  a  lofty  idea  of  the  importance 
of  his  exhibition,  became  at  length  impatient.  They 
did  not,  however,  display  it  by  any  ill-bred  clam- 
our, but  availed  themselves  of  the  .interval  and  the 
assemblage  to  extract  amusement  of  another  kind. 
They  called  upon  a  couple  of  the  village  guitarists, 
who  were  stationed  near  the  stage  as  an  orchestra, 
to  strike  up.    "Lajota!  lo.  jota  Arqgonesq  T  was 
called  on  all  sides.     The  willing  peasants  obeyed; 
the  favourite  air  of  Aragon  was  touched  with  no 
inconsidierable  skill ;  a  ring  was  suddenly  formed; 
and  three  handsome  young  bloods  of  the  village, 
casting  aside  their  blankets,  led  forth  as  many  fa- 
vourite beauties,  and  the  dance  began.     It  was  .of 
the  same  general  character  with  the  bolero  and 
graceful  fandango,  consisting  of  a  series  of  easy 
and  flowing  movements,  in  which  legs,  arms,  and 
body  aptly  and  harmoniously  partook.     The  circle 
formed    around    sang   in    accompaniment    to    the 
music,  and  marked  the  measure  by  clapping  their 
hands.     Among  these  I  discovered  Ramon,  who 
had  got  news  of  this  merrymaking,  and  lost  no 
time  in  joining  an  assemblage  in  which  he  was 
calculated  to  shine. 

When  the  titerero  had  exhausted  his  stock  of 
tricks,  which  were  of  course  execrably  executed. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  143 

he  exhibited  a  species  of  comedy  in  two  characters, 
one  of  which  was  sustained  by  his  wife,  rather  a 
well-looking  slattern,  much  younger  than  himself. 
The  play  exhibited  the  domestic  broils  of'  an  un- 
happy cobbler,  who  has  a  handsome  wife.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  practical  illustration  in  the 
Punch  and  Judy  style,  though  the  chances  of  the 
game  were  reversed,  and  the  poor  mountebank  got 
several  severe  hangings  in  the  course  of  the  even- 
ing, which  were  doubtless  the  better  done  that  they 
were  only  the  public  exhibition  of  a  scene  which 
had  often  been  rehearsed  in  private.  .  '  . 
•  In  the  midst  of  the  .play,  which  drew  down  im- 
mense applause,  there  was  a  knocking  at  the  door> 
which  had  been  locked  within  by  the  mountebank 
when  he  had  collected  all  the  cuartos,  a  task  which 
he  was  indisposed  to  intrust  to  others.  Entrance 
was  demanded  for  the  alguazil ;  and  it  wag  immcr 
diately  whispered  that  the  justicia  was  coming  to 
make  a  prisoner.  An  expression  of  anxiety  was 
on  every  countenance ; .  for  no  man  in  Spain  can  tell 
certainly,  from  day  to  day,  whether  he  is  to  pass 
the  coming  night  in  the  common  prison  or  in  his 
own  bed.  The  apprehensions  on  this  account 
were,  however,  relieved,  on  discovering  that  the 
alguazil  had  come  to  announce  to  the  alcalde  that 
a  detachment  of  cavalry  had  arrived  in  Alagon  to 


144  SPAIN   REVISITED, 

pass  the  night,  and  required  lodgings.  The  al- 
calde went  off  to  attend  to  this  vexatious  duty,  and 
the  assembly  soon  after  broke  up,  each  family,  no 
doubt,  anticipating  on  its  way  home  the  pleasure  of 
findin'g  its  habitation  in  the  possession  of  a  trooper. 
One  party,  walking  before  me,  reached  their  door 
just  as  a  dragoon,  with  horsehair  flowing  from  his 
casque,  and  a  long  sabre  clattering  after  him,  had 
disappeared  within,  leading  after  him  a  long-tailed 
warhorse. 

On  reaching  the  inn  I  found  the  kitchen  filled 
with  dragoons ;  sabres  were  clattering  and  spurs 
jingling  oyer  the  brick  floor,  as  some  came  from 
the  stable  laden  with  their  heavy  saddles,  holsters, 
and  carbines ;  others  demanded  straw  from  the 
innkeeper  and  barleyman,  who  refused  to  furnish 
any  without  payment;  while  a  few,  who  had  been 
placed  upon  that  duty,  were  attending  to  the  inter- 
esting but  somewhat  troublesome  duties  of  provi- 
ding supper.  In  Aragon  the  inns  are  unprovided 
with  provisions  of  any  sort,  though  a  few  miles  off, 
in  Navarre,  every  thing  is  furnished  at  a  fixed  and 
reasonable  price.  The  answer  to  the  inexperienced 
traveller,  who,  on  his  arrival  at  an  inn  in  the  for- 
mer province,  asks  what  he  can  have  for  dinner,  is 
always,  "whatever  you  bring  with  you— Zo^we 
usted  true  cdnsigo^     And  this  was  the  very  unsat- 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  145 

isfactofy  answer  now  delivered  to  these  young  An- 
dalusians,  w^ho  had  started  with  little  preparation 
and  empty  stomachs  from  their  comfortable  bar- 
racks in  a  convent  of  Zaragoza.  Ramon  had  suc- 
ceeded earlier  in  procuring  for  us  the  ingredients 
of  a  comfortable  supper,  but  at  that  hour  the  pro- 
vision-shops and  market  were  closed;  however, 
they  wandered  forth,  and  returned,  after  a  time, 
ladep  with  sundry  scraps  of  dried  fish,  and  their 
bonnets  filled  with  eggs,  potatoes,  garlic,  and  pep- 
pers. The  landlord  was  very  surly  in  answering 
their  demands  for  assistance ;  but  after  a  while  the 
landlady,  whom  they  addressed  by  the  title  of  mi 
patrona,  as  well  as  the  maid,  ceased  to  remain 
obdurate  to  the  gentle  speech  of  these  handsome 
intruders. 

The  fire  was  heaped  with  brushwood,  and  they 
were  furnished  with  frying-pans,  into  which  they 
hastened  to  throw  all  their  commodities  in  one 
confused  heap,  reducing  it  by  much  §tirring  into  a 
mixture,  which,  though  it  might  not  tempt  the  pal- 
ate of  a  gourmand,  seemed  to  be  very  acceptable 
to  the  hungry  mouths  of  the  troopers,  being  as  it 
was  washed  down  by  some  excellent  wine,  of 
which  they  drank  deep  and  long.  Some  of  them, 
unaccustomed  to  such  heady  beverage,  began  to 
show  its   effects  in  their  speech.      They  talked 

VOL.  I. G  1.3 


146  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

about  the  unexpectedness  of  iheii"  departure :  one 
young-  Andalusian,  with  the  soft  hsp  of  his  coun- 
try, wa's  regretting  the  masquerade-ball  in  the  arena 
of  bull-fights,  where  he  was  to  have  gone  the  next 
Sunday  with  a  young  woman  whom  he  loved.  He 
cursed  the  Carlists,  whose  growing  numbers  had 
brought  them  forth,  and  vowed  vengeance  against 
all  curates  and  friars.:  "  La  toledana  a  ellos,^''  said 
he,  striking  his  sword  with  energy  against  the  floor. 
We  got  off  the  next  morning  at  an  early  hour, 
leaving  the  stable-yard  in /a  tumult  of  confusioa 
with  the  troopers,  who  were  saddling  their  horses 
in  readines.s  to  mount.  That  day's  march  would 
bring  them  to  the  enemy's  t&rritory;  and  the  young 
Andalusian,  who  was  to' have  capered  on  Sunday 
with  his  sweetheart  in  the  Plaza  de  Toros,  had  a 
very  tolerable  chance  of  being  picked  o'ff  in  the 
interval  by  some  lurking  sharpshooter,  especially 
if  he  cqntinued  to  express  such  opinions  about  the 
.  servants  of  the  holy  church.  Just  without  Alagon, 
Ramon  pointed  to  the  place  where  he  had  been 
robbe'd  on  the,  only  occasion  that  such  an  accident 
had  happened  to  him.       '  .  . 

•As  'this  was  to  be  pur  last  day  together,  Ramon 
strove  to  make  himself  more  than  usually  agree- 
able, relating  many  odd  stories  for  my  amusement, 
among  the  oddest  of  which  was  the  following,  which, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  147 

though  not  characterized  by  any  particular  refine- 
ment, is  curious  as  a  picture  of  manners,  and  the 
strange  blending  of  religion  and  profanity  often 
found  in  the  Spanish  character.  ,    - 

"  Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  miller  of  Sangue- 
sa  who  had  been  a  great  rogue,  as  all  millers  are, 
and  who  had  always  a  story  about  the  stones  grind* 
ing  badly,  as  an  excuse  for  stealing  a  good  poTrtion. 
of  the  flour';  he  fell  sick,  and  being  about  to  die, 
thought  he  would  make  a  vo)fage  to  see  the  devil, 
so  as  to  secure  himself  a  place  in  advance  ;  for, 
like  allof  his  countrymen,  he  had  a  desire  to  have 
an  office  wherever  he  w.ent.  Arriving  at  the  gate, 
he  gave  a  loud  knock.  '  QuienV  said  the  devil, 
reconnoitring  him  through  the  keyhole.  '  Gente 
de pazP  was  the  answer;  the  door  flew  open,  and 
in  he  walked.  '  Senor  Demoiio,'  said  he,  '  have 
you  any  little  place  for  a  faithful  friend  who  has 
served  you  well  in  the  world,  doing  all  the  harm 
he  could  to.  his  neighbours-?' — '  Friend,'  said  the 
devil,  'what  trade  had  you?' — 'A  miller,  may  it 
please  your  majesty.' — '  And  your  father  V- — ■  A 
miller  also.' — '  Were  you  ever  married  ?' — '  Alas 
was  I,  your  excellency!  to  my  sorrow  be  it  said.' 
— 'And  who  might  your  wife  have  been?' — '  She 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Ventero  by  baptism,  but  was 
said  .to  have  more  resemblance  to  the  Cebaderc' 

G   2 


148  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

— '  Come !  come  !'  said  the  devil,  '  that  will  do;  no 
more  questions  or  answers :  you  were  a  miller,  and 
your  father  before  you.  Your  wife  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  Ventero,  or  Cebadero,  or  both,  it  matters 
hltle,  as  each  is  a  greater  rascal  than  the  other. 
Come  over  whenever  you  like,  you  are  my  ser- 
geant-major.' A  poor  tailor  hved  in  Olite,  who 
worked  hard  and  prayed  harder.  Whenever  he 
was  not  sitting  cross-legged  on  his  counter,  he  was 
upon  his  knees  in  the  church ;  he  was  a  member, 
moreover,  of  every  holy  brotherhood  in  the  town. 
The  poor  tailor,  what  with  working,  praying,  fasting, 
and  vigils,  aided  by  a  cross  wife,  soon  pined  away, 
and  took  himself  out  of  a  world  that  was  not  good 
enough  for  him.  He  went  to  heaven,  knocked  at 
the  door,  which  flew  open,  and  he  found  himself 
in  the  presence  of  San  Pedro  and  San  Ginoco,  a 
merry  saint,  full  of  the  devil,  who  is  second  keep- 
er of  the  keys  after  Saint  Peter.  They  called 
upon  him,  not  liking  his  looks,  and  thinking  him  a 
bad  recruit,  to  give  an  account  of  himself.  He 
said  he  went  every  day  to  mass  at  daylight,  and  in 
the  evening  to  vespers,  on  a  feast  day  to  grand  mass 
and  sermon,  followed  all  the  fasts  of  the  church, 
and  eschewed  all  frivolous  gayety.  '  That  will  do,' 
says  San  Ginoco,  '  we  want  no  such  long-faced 
fellows  as  you  here  ;  take  yourself  into  purgatory, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  149 

where  you  will  find  faces  as  solemn  as  your  own.' 
The  door  had  just  closed,  when  along  comes  a  jolly 
carman  of  Pamplona,  his  hat  on  one  side,  and  a 
cigarillo  in  his  mouth  on  the  other.  He  knocks, 
is  admitted,  and  San  Ginoco  slapped  him  on  the 
shoulder  and  asked  for  light ;  and  being  himself  a 
merry  saint,  was  pleased  with  his  air.  '  What  sort  of 
a  time  have  you  had  in  the  other  world,  my  son  ?' — 
'  A  right  jolly  one,  old  boy.  I  never  went  by  a 
brandy-shop  without  stepping  in ;  I  have  passed 
my  time  in  drinking,  singing,  and  dancing  fandan- 
goes. Though  I  have  had  to  work  hard, 
I  have  borne  it  cheerily,  and  managed  to  have  a 
merry-making  every  night  in  the  posada.' — '  Come 
in,  my  son,  you  will  just  do ;  we  are  in  want  of  a 
gracioso,  and  you  shall  have  the  appointment, 
worth  two  pistareens  a  day.'  " 

The  new  tower  of  Zaragqza,  which  we  had  seen 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  previous  day,  continued  to 
grow  upon  the  ?ye,  casting  into  insignificance  the 
inferior  steeples  of  churches  and  convents  which 
rose  into  view  as  we  drew  near.  Our  pace  was 
slow,  and  the"  distinctness  with  which  distant  ob- 
jects were  seen  through  so  cleaY  an  atmosphere, 
made  it  seem  much  more  tedious ;  nevertheless,  we 
did  at  length  reach  the  planted  environs,  which 

13* 


150  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

serve  as  a  promenade  to  the  inhabitants.  The 
hour  was  not  the  usual  one  for  walking,  and  the 
place  was  abandoned  by  all  except  a  few  Recruits, 
who  were  in  process  of  training  for  soldiers,  with 
some  drummers  and  trumpeters,  who  were  learning 
their  profession,  and  regaling  each  other  with  what 
was  any  thing  but  a  concord  of  sweet  sounds,  and 
a  straggling  student,  wJio  was  walking  up  and  down 
with  a  book  in  his  hand,  in  the  sunny  exposure 
beside  the  city  wall.  The  cart  halted  at  an  inn 
without  the  gate  which  lies  opposite  the  bridge,  and 
which  is  called,  I  believe,  the  gate  of  the  Ebro. 
There  I  took,  leave  of  Ramon,  and  with  some  re- 
gret too;  for,  though  a  sad  scapegrace,  he  was  after 
all  a  good-hearted  and  happy  fellow,  in  whose 
company  it  was  easier  to  laugh  than  to  cry. 

A  sturdy  porter  offered  his  services  to  convey 
my  baggage  to  the  posada  of  the  diligences j  and 
the  douceur  of  a  single  pistareen  relieved  me  of  all 
inconvenience  at  the  gate,  and  of  the  necessity  of 
breaking  _my  locks,  for  my  keys  were  missing.  ,  I 
afterward  found  that  Ramon  had  taken  the  trouble 
to  send  word  by  a  brother-in-law,  who  set  out  on 
his  return  to  Pamplona  just  after  we  arrived,  to 
liave  my  keys  looked  for  at  Alagon,.and  sent  to 
nie. .  It  seems  they  were  not  to  be  found ;  a 
piece    of  information    which  was    communicated 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  151 

to  me  through  a  letter  sent  the  next  day  by  a 
special  messenger  on  foot,  the  distance  to  and  fro 
being  no  less,  than  twenty-eight  miles.  It  was 
from  the  barleyman,  or  hosjler,  to  Ramon,  and, 
divested  of  the  curious  turn  of  phrase  and  remark- 
able orthography  which  characterized  the  original, 
r^n  as  follows : —  .  •  .^ 

"  Alagon,  this  ISth  of  January  q/"1834. 
"  Friend  Ramon,  this  is  to  serve  to  tell  thee  that 
thy  brother-in-law,  Rafael,  was  here  yesterday  at 
the  hour  of  four,,  and  that  he  delivered  thy  message. 
We  duly  examined  the  pla~ce,  but  the  keys  are  no- 
where to  be  found ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
they  have  been  taken  away  by  the  soldiers  to  Pam- 
plona. I  have  nothing  more  to  sayto  thee,  Ramon, 
but  to  bid  thee  command  thy  fast. and  faithful  friend, 
who  wishes  that'  thou  mayst  flourish,  and  follow 
mules  for  many  years.  The  Barleyman." 

It  may  be  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  soldiers 
are  looked  on  in  Spain  like  men-of-war's,  men 
about  our  docks,  as  a  set  of  outlaws  who  are  ready, 
without  ceremony,  to  lay  their  hands  on  any  thing 
that  i'alls  in^heir  way,  and  put  it  at  the  bottom  of 
their  knapsack,  in  the  hope  that  it  may  be  one  day 
useful. 


152  spaIn  revisited. 


CHAPTER   X. 


ZARAGOZA. 


Siege  of  Zaragoza — Great  Square — Poor  Students — New  Town — 
Post-House— Mesa  Redonda— Church, of  the  Pillar— High  Mass 
—Hog  Lottery— Torre  Nueva— View.from  the  Tower— Masquer- 
ade— The  Maskers — Evening  Offices  of  Devotion. 

On  entering  •the  gate  of  the  Ebro  I  found  my- 
self within  the  famous  old ,  city  of  Zaragoza ;  re- 
nowned, in  chronicles  and  ballads,  for  the  achieve- 
ments of  its  sons :  the  capital,  moreover,  of  that 
glorious  kingdom  of  Aragon,  so  illustrious  for  its 
ancient  laws  and  liberties,  for  its  conquests,  and 
extirpation  of  the  Moors,  and  for  the  wisdom  and 
prowess  of  its,  kings ;  but,  above  all,  glorious  now 
and  for  ever,  for  her  resistance  to  a  treacherous  and 
powerful  foe  ;  a  resistance  undertaken  in'  a  frantic 
spirit  of  patriotism,  -pausing  for  no  reflection  and 
admitting  of  no  reasoning,  and  which  was  con- 
tinued in  defiance  of  all  the  havoc  occasioned  in  a 
place  wholly  indefensible,  according  to  the  arts 
of  war,  until,-  wasted  by  assaults,  by  conflagra 
tions*,  by  famine,"  by  pestilence,  and  every  hor- 
ror, Zaragoza  at  length  yielded  only  in  ceasing  to 
exist. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  '  153 

A  few  Steps  from  the  gate  brought  me  to  the 
great  square.  It  was  crowded  with  a  vast  con- 
course of  people,  consisting  at  once  of  the  busy  and 
the  idle  of  a  population  of  near  sixty  thousand  souls  : 
the  busy  brought  there  for  the  transaction  of  their  af- 
fairs, and  the  idle  in  search  of  occupation,  or  for  the 
retail  and  exchange  of  gossip.  The  arcades  and  the 
interior  of  the  square  were  everywhere  filled  with 
such  as  sold  bread,  meat,  vegetables,  and  all  the 
necessaries  of  life,  together  with  such  rude  fabrics 
as  come  within  the  compass  of  Spanish  ingenuity. 
Beggars  proclaimed  their  poverty  and  misfortune, 
and  the  compensation  which  Jesus  and  Mary 
would  give,  in  another  world,  to  such  charitable 
souls  as  bestowed  alms  on  the  wfetched  in  this  ; 
and  blind  men  chanted  a  rude  ballad  which  re- 
counted the  sad  fate  of  a  young  woman  forced  to 
marry  a  man  whom  she  did  not  love ;  or  offered 
for  sale  verses,  such  as  were  suited  for  a  gallant  to 
sing  beneath  the  balcony  of  his  mistress.  Trains 
of  heavily-laden  mules  entered  and' disappeared 
again ;  and  carts  and  wagons  slowly  lumbered 
through,  creaking  and  groaning  at  every  step. 
Here  was  every  variety  of  dress  peculiar  to  the 
different  provinces  of  Spain.  A  few  had  wandered 
to  this  distant  mart  from  the  sunny  land  of  Anda- 
lusia ;  but  there  wete  more  from  Catalonia,  Valen- 

G  3 


154  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

cia,  and  Biscay,  Zaragoza  being  the  great  connect- 
ing thoroughfare  between  those  induslrious  and 
commercial  provinces.  The  scene  was  noisy,  tur 
mulluous,  and. full  of  vivacity  and  animation  ;  and 
I  felt  that  pleasure  in  contemplating  it,  which  an 
arrival  in  a  city  of  some  importance  never  fails  to 
afford,  after  the  quiet  and  monotony  of  small 
villages. 

Catching  a  distant  view  of  the  renowned  Church 
of  the  Pillar  on  the  left,  and  of  the  Aragonese 
Giralda,  the  new  tower,  on  the  .opposite  hand,. I 
came  into  a  street  which  seemed  to  be  consecra- 
ted to  learning.  On  either  hand  weie  bookshops, 
filled  with  antique  tomes,  bound  in  parchment, 
with  clasps  of  copper,  and  having  a  monkish  and 
conventual  smell ;  while,  seated  upon  the  pave- 
ment at  the  sunny  side,  were  scores  of  cloaked 
students,  conning  ragged  volumes,  and  passing  an 
apparent  interval  in  the  academic  hours  in  prepar- 
ation for  rehearsa-1,  and  in  storing  up  a  stock  of 
heat  to  carry  them  sftfely  -through  the  frigid  atmo- 
sphere of  some  Gothic  hall,  in  which  the  light  of 
science  was  wooed  with  a  pious  -pxclusion  of  the 
assistance  of  the.  sun.  Other  students  were  more 
agreeably  employed  in  gambling  in  the  dirt  fqr  a 
fe.w  cuartos.  One  of  them,  who  had  been  look- 
ing over  the  game,  and  had  probably  lost,  followed 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  155 

me,    holding    out  the    greasy  tatters  of  a  broken 
cocked  hat,  and.  supplicating  a  little  alms  to  pursue 
his  studies.'    He  had  on  a  cloak  which  hunff  in 
tatters,  a  pair  of  black"  worsted  stockings,  foxy-  and 
faded,  and  posjsibly  a   pair  of   trousers,    while   a 
stock,  streaked  with  violet,  showed  that  he  was  a 
candidate  for  the  church :    a    mass  of   uncombed 
and    matted    hair   hung   about  his    forehead ;    his 
teeth  were  stained,  like  his   fingers,  with   the  oil 
from    the   paper  cigars ;  and  his  complexion   and 
whole   appearance   indicated    a'  person  nourished 
from  day  to  day -on  unwholesome  food,  irregularly 
and  precariously  procured.     He  followed  me  for 
some    distance,    whining    forth    his    petition.     At 
length  I  said  to  him,  somewhat  briefly — "'JPerdon 
u$ted  amigo!  no  hay  nada  /" — and  he  happening 
to  catch   sight,  at  the  same  moment,   of  a   half- 
smoked  fragment  of  a  cigar,  stopped  short,  picked 
it  up,  and  proceeded  to  prepare  it  for  further  fumi- 
gation.    '  •    ■      .        .      .  •      • 

Tracing  our  way  through  narrow,  winding,  and 
ill-paved  ane)7s,  we  at  length  approached -/the 
southern  portion  of  the  city,  and  entered  the  spa-  ' 
cious  street  called  the  Coso,  which  lies  in  the 
modern  part  of  Zaragoza.  It  was  on  this  side  that 
the  chief  attack  of  the  French  was-directed.  They. 
approached  by  a  level  plain,  demolishing  convents, 


156  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

churches,  and  dwellings  ;  battering  with  their  can- 
non, discharging  bombs,  and  springing  mines,- until 
this  whole  district  was  reduced  to  a  widcrextended 
heap  of  ruins,  A  few  walls  of  convents,  half 
demolished,  arches  yawning,  and  threatening  to 
crush  at  each  instant  whoever  may  venture  below, 
and  a  superb  facade,  standing  in  lonely  grandeur, 
to  attest  the  magnificence  of  the  temple  of 
which  it  originally  formed  part,  still  remain  to  tes- 
tify to  the  heroic  obstinacy  with  which  Zaragoza 
resisted.  Some  modern  houses  have  arisen- in  this 
neighbourhood.  They  are  of  neat  and  tasteful  con- 
struction, and  form  a  singular  contrast  with  the  anti- 
quated and  crowded  district  through  which  I  had  just 
passed,  not  less,  than  with  the  monastic  ruins  which 
frown  upon  and  threaten  to  crush  them,  for  their 
sacrilegious  intrusion  upon  consecrated  ground. 

From  the  Coso  a  wide  avenue  extends  to  the 
gate  of  Madrid,  and  owes  its  opening  and  enlarge- 
ment to  the  batteries  of  the  French.  Its  origin  is 
connected  with  a  dreadful  catastrophe,  but  its  pres- 
ent uses  are  of  the  most  peaceful  kind.  It  is  now 
a  public  walk,  planted  with  trees,  and  enlivened  by 
fountains  ;  and  the  Zaragozana  of  our  day  now 
coquets  and  flourishes  her  fan,  and  plays  off  the 
whole  battery  of  her  charms,  on  the  very  spot 
where  her  father  or  her  grandfather,  or  haply  an 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  157 

ancestor  of  her  own  sex,  poured  forth  their  hfe's 
blood  in  defence  of  their  country. 

It  is  at  the  end  of  this  proinenade,rand  in  front 
of  the  gate,  that  stands  the  royal  Parador  of  the 
diligences.  A  spacious  stairway  led  from  the 
courtyard  to  the  apartments  above,  where  1  found 
a  comfortable  room,  with  an  alcove  and  clean  bed  ; 
while  in  the  adjoining  kitchen,  to  which  I  repaired 
to  make  sundry  inquiries  about  the  assistance  of  a 
barber  and  the  hour  of  dinner,  I  found  a  French- 
man, in  neat  apron  and  nightcap,  who  proved  to  be 
the  master  of  the  house,  presiding  over  an  exten- 
sive and  formidable  kitchen  battery,  and  preparing 
a  variety  of  savoury  and  templing  dishes  :  a  spec- 
tacle capable  of  displacing  from  the  imagination 
of  the  hungry  man  the  Virgin  of  the  Pillar,  the 
promenade,  the  ruined  convents,  and  the  whole 
bundle  of  associations,. historical  and  poetic. 

There  was  an  ordinary,  or  mesa  redonda,  in  this 
house,  a  thing  not  very  common  in  Spain,  and 
which  furnishes  a  capital  resource  for  the  solitary 
traveller.  Around  it  assembled,  at  the  hour  of  two, 
a  number  of  very  intelligent  people,  chiefly  Catalan 
merchants  or  officers  of  the  army.  They  were 
all  liberals,  and  were  earnest  on  the  subject  of 
the  late  change  in  the  ministry,  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  Martinez  de  la  Rosa  for  Zea  Bermudez ; 

14 


158  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

and  of  the  revolution  which  the  disputed  succes- 
sion-and  the  existing  government,  being  driven  by 
the  abandonment  of  the  church  to  seek  support  in 
the  hberals,  were  rapidly  bringing  about  in  the  con- 
dition of  their  country.  - 

The  administrator  of  the  diligences  being  an  in- 
ferior sort  of  Spanish  placeman,  was,  of  course,  a 
great  miscreant.  He  pretended  that  hexould  not  as- 
sure me  a  seat  in  the  coach  which  wa's  to  arrive  from 
Barcelona  the  following  morning. '  The  innkeeper, 
on  4he  contrary,  assured  me  that  there  was  no 
doubt  of  my  having  a  seat,  and  that  the  administra- 
tor was  a  thorough  tunante,  who,  being  badly  paid 
by  his  employers,  adopted  that  plan  of  extorting 
money  from  travellers.  At.  any  rate;  the  fellow 
succeeded  in  ma'king  me  pass  a  bad  night ;  for  I 
was  very  anxious  to  get  on.  At  eight,  however,  the 
diligence  from  Barcelona  arrived ;  a  larger  one  was, 
as,  usual,,  to  besubs^tut^d  for  it  on  the  road  to  Mad- 
rid,'and.,  it  was  discovered  that  the  last  place  in  the 
Rotunda  was  vacant  for  my  use.  I  was  too  happy 
to  have  a  seat  at  all,  to  commence'  so  soon  to- re- 
pine 'about  its  convenience ;  and  as  the  diligence 
was  to  leave  the  following  morning  at  an  early 
hour,  thought  only  about  making  the  most  of  the 
day  of  leisure  which- remained  for  me  in  Zaragoza. 

And,  in  the  first  place,  having,  like  that  renown- 


SPAIN  REVISITED,  159 

ed  champion,  Dugald  Dalgetty,  taken  care  to  pro- 
vide a  stock  of  resistance  before  sallying  out  to 
attempt  adventures,  I  directed  my  steps  towards 
the.  renowned  Church  of  the  Pillar.  It  is  an  im- 
mense pile,  and  is  not  of  Gothic,  though  it  would 
be.  hardly  true  to  call  it-  of  Grecian  construction. 
The  length  is  veTy  great,  and  the  choir  and  several 
central  chapels  are -enclosed  by  a  double  range  of 
enormous  pilaster;s,  not  less  than  twenty  feet  square; 
Among  thesCj^lhe  chapel  which  contains  the  -vener- 
ated image  of  our  Lady  of  the  Pillar  is  the  most 
conspicuous.  It  was  Sunday,  and  grand,  njass  had 
just  been  chanted  at  her  altar  as  I  entered ;  yet 
those  who  had  heard  it  remained  kneeling  in  a  cir- 
cular group,  their  eyes  turned  in  the  direction  of 
the  altar,  while  others  were  seen  in  situations  still 
more  remote,  looking  past  the  intervening  columns, 
and  bending  humbly,  at  a  distance. 

The  shrine  was  brilliantly  lighted ;  for,  though 
the  suri  was  shinir>g  brightly  without,  it  was  dark 
and  gloomy  here :  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones 
were  displayed  in  profusion  .over  the  altar;  and  the 
sacked  little-image  itself,  having  the -head  surround- 
ed by  a  golden -halo,  and  the  body  clothed  in  &atin, 
was  ^everywhere  resplendent  with  diamonds.  At 
the  back  of  the  altar  a '  little  dojor  opeped  upon  a 
portion  of  the  sacred  pillar  of  marble,  on  which  the 


160  SPAIN  "REVISITED. 

image  of  the  Virgin  is  said- to  have  been  found 
standing.  Here  kneeled  others  of  the  devout  who 
had  aheady  performed  their  devotions  before  the 
shrine,  and  who,  after  the  recital  of  a  prayer,  and 
another  interval  of  steady,  fixed,  and  devout  contem- 
plation, rose,  approached  with  solemnity,  and  hav- 
ing kissed  the  portion  of  the  pillar  exposed  to  their 
gaze,  departed.  I  had  never  witnessed  devotion 
more  profound,  more  silent,  and  apparently  more 
absorbing,  than  that  which  her  votaries  addressed 
on  this  occasion  to  the  Virgin  of  the  Pillar. 

From  the  Church  of  the  Pillar  I  directed  my 
steps  towards  the  Torre  Nueva.  On  my  way  I 
overtook  a  blind  man  who  was  crying  forth  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  hog  lottery,  which  was  speedily 
to  be  drawn,  and  •cotuiselling  all  such  as  had  an 
eye  to  the  beauties  of  one  of  the  finest  animals  that 
Aragon  had  given  birth  to,  or  a  taste  for  the  excel- 
lences of  bacon  an4  sausages,  to  hasten  to  secure 
the  means  of  gratifying  themselves  at  a  cheap  rate. 
The  blind  man  was  conducted  by  a  harmless  fool, 
who  had  been  lent^bythe  hospital  for  the  occasion, 
the  maniac  expression  of  his  looks  and  speech 
being  greatly  enhanced  by  the  singular  uniform 
of  the  house,  a  yellow  blanket  with  a  red  border 
thrown  over  his  shoulders  in  the  manner  of  a  shawl, 
and  by  the-tattered  cocked  hat  of  a  student,  which 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  161 

he  wore  with  an  air  of  great  satisfaction,  and  which 
had  doubtless  been  furnished  him  by  the  adminis- 
trator of  the  hog  lottery,  in  order  to  give  greater  dig- , 
nity  to  the  ceremony.  The  two  were  followed  by 
a  number  of  hungry-looking  citizens,  who  seemed 
bent  on  hazarding,  in  an  effort  to  procure  them- 
selves a  whole  hog,  the  cuartos  which  they  were 
certain  of  being  able  to  convert  into  a  small  piece 
of  pork,  and  by  a  noisy  and  laughing  crew  of  ur- 
chins, who  seemed  to  think  that  the  scene  had 
something  ridiculous  in  it. 

After  some  time  passed  in  procuring  the  key 
of  the  tower  from  the  man  who  had  charge  of  the 
clock,  and  who  sent  his  son  .to  accompany  me,  1 
was  at  length  able  to  enter  it.  This  tower  is  of 
immense  height,  and  very  singular  construction ;  it 
has  a  slight  inclination,  very  perceptible  to  the  eye, 
and  which  had  its  origin  rather,  perhaps,  in  the 
unskilful ness  of  the  limes  in  which  it  was  erected, 
than  from  design,  or  a  subsequent  yielding  of  the 
soil,  Tlie  ascent  is  very  .gradual,  and  it  is  said 
that,  like  that  of  the  Giralda,  it  may  be  made  by  a 
hofse.  In  .going  up,  I  was  exceedingly  struck  with 
the  singularity  of  the  construction.  It  is  entirely 
of  brick;  and  the  winding  arch  seen  above  you 
as  you  ascend,  as  well  as  the  arches  of  the  win- 
dows, are  not  formed  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  by 

14* 


162  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

the  assistance  of  a  wooden  frame,  but  by  making 
the  bricks,  which  he  horizontally  throughoutj  pro- 
ject over  each  other  until  they  meet  and  oppose 
each  other  at  the  top.  The  appearance  of  this 
arch  is  insecure;  but  time  has  sanctioned'  its 
strength,  since  it  has  endured  so  many  centuries. 
Some  difficulty  occurs  in  accounting  for  the  origin 
,  of  such  a  huge  pile,  which  does  not  stand  near  any 
church  or  convent,  but  quite  isolated  in  the  centre 
of  a  square.  An  old  man,  whom  I  asked  about  it, 
told  me  that  it  was  put  up  to  enable  the  labourers 
to  know  the  time  in  the  fields  about  Zar<igoza;  and, 
in  fact,  the  sound  of  the  huge  bell,  that  tolls  the 
hours,  may  be  heard  at  an  immense  distance,  if 
any  idea  may  be  formed  from  the  'deafening  effect 
which  it  produced  upon  my  ears  when  nigh. 

The  view  from  the  top  of  this  tower  is  at  once 
commanding' and  beautiful.  It  was  perfectly  clear 
at  the  time  ;  not  a  cloud  or  spot  was  anywhere  to 
be  seen  in  the  sky,  nor  any  object  ,whatever,  except 
only  the  sun,  which  shoji?  forth  with  an  ardour  that, 
in.  the  middle  of  January,  was  nearly  as  oppressive 
as.his  rays  were  dazzling.  A  flood  of  light  bathed 
the  whole  scene  in  brilliancy,  revealing,  with 
singular  distinctness,  the  remotest  objects.  The 
mountains  of  Navarre,  which  bounded  the  northern 
horizon,  seemed  indeed  at  hand ;  and  it  was  only 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  163 

possibly  to  estimate  the  distance  which  separated 
the  eye  from  them,  by  contracting  the  sight  to  the 
nearer  range  which  formed  the  barrier  to  the  valley 
of  the  Ebro.  They  were  of  an  arid,  chalky  hue, 
and  torn  by  the  wintry  torrents  into  deeply-furrow- 
ed ravines.  Directing  one's  gaze  to.  the  opposite 
side,  you  are  astonished  to  find  the  mountains  of 
Castite,  which  enclose  the  central  plateau  of  Spain, 
rising  higher  and  bolder  than  those  which  offer 
themselves  to  the  eye  in  the  direction  of  the  Pyre- 
nees, and  the  lofty  MoHcayo  lifting  his  snowy  head 
above  every  object  in  the  landscape.  ' 

XiCaving  these  mountain  ranges,  the  eye  reverts 
\^ith  pleasure  to  the  more  quiet  beauties  of  the 
cultivated  fields,  the  vineyards,  olive-trees,  and  al- 
ready verdant  corn,  the  level  expanse  being  every- 
where intersected  with  roads,  and  checkered  by 
the  devious  course  of  the  Ebro,  appearing  and  dis- 
appearing, m  a  succession  of  glistening  and  mirror- 
like Icfkes.  It  is,  perh&ps,  v\rith  still  greater  inter- 
est that  you  contract  your  gaza  to  the  city -below, 
and  to  the  nearer,  if  less  picturesque  objects  con- 
nected with  the  uses  and  existence  of  your  fellow- 
man;  Here  one's'  first  astonishment  is  to  find  that 
half  of  the  entu-e  extent  of  the  city  is  covered  with 
churches  and  convents,  and  to  infer  1k)\V  pervading 
and  how  powerful  religion  must  be  among  a  people 


164  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

who  abandon  such  a  space  to  its  uses.  Conspicu- 
ous among  these  is  the  Church  of  the  Pillar,  with 
its  four  lofty  towers,  its  six  donaes  for  the  admis- 
sion of  light,  all  covered  with  variegated  tiles  of 
white,  yellow,  or  green.  The  narrow  streets  were 
almost  entirely  hidden  from  view  by  the  overhang- 
ing roofs  of  the  houses,  but  the  square  below  lay 
all  revealed  with  its  animated  groups;  there  cloak- 
ed Aragonese  conversed  upon  the  affairs  of  the 
state,  females  walked  across  with  studied  and 
graceful  steps,  and  dogs,*beggars,  and  students  lay 
basking  in  the  sun ;  there  was  neither  buying  nor 
■selling,  and  the  scene  was  full  of  Sunday  quiet  arid 
repose.  In  some  of  the  houses,  of  which  the 
courtyards  were  open  to  me,  women  were  engaged 
in  the  friendly  task  of  dressing  each  other's  hair, 
or  in  preparing  some,  article  of  dress  or  fancy  for 
the  evening  promenade,  or  for  the  masked-ball 
which  was  to  take  place,  for  the  poor  in  the  am- 
phitheatre of  bulls,  and  for  the  better  orders  on  the 
stage  of  the  theatre.  '    '"  . 

Our  party  at  dinner  was  augmented  by  my  future 
fellow-passengers,  who  had  arrived  in  the  morning 
from  Barcelona,  for  whose  accommodation  the 
board  was  -duly  extended,  and  more  variously  and 
abundantly  spread.  Having  seen  the  last  of  the 
sweets  and  cordials  which  crown  a  Spanish  dinner, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  165 

and  lead  so  naturally  to  coffee  and  cigars,  I  took 
my  way,  by  the  promenade  without  the  city  walls, 
to  the  amphitheatre  of  bull-fights.  The  approach 
to  it  was  marked  by  an  immense  concourse  of  peo- 
ple :  many  going  to  the  ball,  others,  collected  there 
to  enjoy  the  cheaper  pleasure  of  seeing  the  maskers 
before  they  entered,  celebrating  in  loud  voice,  and 
by  general  acclamation,  the  beauty  and  good  laste 
of  the  dresses,  or  testifying,  with  equal  energy, 
their  disapprobation  and  dissent.  A  couple  of; 
young  females  were  noticed  to  come  unattended 
by  men,  expecting  no  doubt  to  procure  themselves 
that  appendage,  and  pair  off,  when  within.  Their 
arrival  excited  a  great  sensation ;  they  were  cheer- 
ed and  clapped,  and  asked  for  their  partners.  Noth- 
ing daunted,  however,  they  turned  their  heads,  and 
made  reply  that  partners  would  not  be  wanting, 
and  that  they  knew  where  to  find  them.  A  picket 
of  cavalry  patrolled  the  street  leading  to  the  amphi- 
theatre, riding  backwards  and  forwards  to  keep  the 
approach  open,  and  prevent  disorder.  The  tickets 
were  sold  at  the  trifling  price  often  cents,  by  beard- 
ed  and  cowled  friars,  1  think  of  the  order  of  St. 
John  of  God,  who  had  charge  of  the  hospital  for 
the  sick,  to  whose  benefit  the  profits  of  the  enter- 
tainment were  to  be  appropriated.  Having  been  for 
some  lime  absent  from  Spain,  I  must  Confess  that 


%:. 


*» 


166  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

it  seemed  a  little  strange  to  me  to  see  clergymen, 
in  their  religious  robes,  selling  masquerade  tickets 
on  a  Sunday  to  clerical  students  and  courtesans. 

The  rush  at  the  entrance  was  immense.  It  was, 
however,  worth  while  to  trust  one's  self  in  the  vortex 
to  witness  the  scene  within,  for  it  was  one  of  the 
most  animated  and  striking  I  had  ever  seen.  The 
amphitheatre  was  very  large,  capable' of  containing 
at  least  twelve  thousand  persons  seated ;  yet  it  was 
entirely  full,  not  only  in  the  galleries  and  open 
benches,  but  also  in  the  arena  below.  The  better 
order  of  visiters,  who  had  come  merely  to  look  on, 
were  seated  in  the  galleries,  and  were  either  mask- 
ed or  in  their  ordinary  dress.  The  military  on  duty 
for  the  occasion  occupied  their  usual  elevated  post, 

• 

a  sort  of  castellated  situation,  whence  they  might 
defend  themselves  if  set  upon  by  the  mob,  or  fire 
upon  the  multitude  in  case  of  an  affray,  or  any 
seditious  acclamation,  in  favour  of  the  Pretender. 
In  the  centre  of  the  arena,  on  a  temporary  platform, 
was  posted  the  military  band,  which  played  the 
most  -delightful  waltzes  and  country-dances  with  a 
pecujiar  grace ;  while  all  around  the  fantastic  mask- 
ers capered  and  kicked  up  the  dust  in  perfect  har- 
mony to  the"  music,  yet  with  a  spirit  and  enthusi- 
asm unknown  elsewhere  than  among  the  excitable 
and  extravagant  Spaniards.     The  varieties  of  dress 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  167 

were  infinite ;  for,  independent  of  the  costumes  of 
Spain,  from  the  Andalusian  and  Valencian  to.  the 
Biscayan  and  Catalan,  there  was  no  lack  qf  Greeks, 
Turks,  and  Moors,  or  those  who  fancied  themselves 
such.    Of  no^haracters,  however,  was    there  such 
abundance  as  of  the  students  of  divinity,  in  their 
ordinary  garb,  with  the  simple  addition  of  a  defaced 
mask  or  domino.     They  were  more  than  usually 
dusted  and  draggled,  with  thejr  cloaks  half  torn  oiF, 
exhibiting  a  deplorable  absence  of  under  garments ; 
they  seemed,  indeed,  to  have  v<jry.dittle  regard  foi: 
the  little  worldly  property  which  they  possessed, 
and  entered  with  unusual  energy  into  the  favourite 
scholastic  prank  of  banging  each  other  with  their 
cocked  hats,  or  tearing  them  into  fragments  in  a 
tussle  for  possession.     They  evidently  had  as  little 
respect  for  themselves    as, others   had   for  them; 
many,  indeed,  making  sport  at.  once  of  their  profes- 
sion and  their  poverty.     Some  exhibited  in  their 
hats  the  greasy- cards  with  which  they  gambled 
and   cheated,  or  ,the  woode;i   spoons,  with  which 
they  partook  of  the  soup  distributed  at  the  doors 
of  convents,-  while  others  displayed,  in  conjunction 
with  these,  the  Latin  moUo-:-omnia  m^a  mecum 
porta,  or  the  more  characteristic  Spanish  expres- 
sion of  simple  hamhre,  or  hunger.      ^      • 

I   left-  the    amphitheatre  blessing   the   climate 


168  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

which  enabled  the  inhabitants  to  partake  of  such 
an  amusement  in  the  dead  of  winter,  in  the  open 
air.  The  crowd  was  now  pressing  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  church  where  they  were  chanting  vespers ; 
and  in  which  a  fine  organ  and  well-appointed  choir 
were  performing  a  solemn  anthem ;  a  faint  light  illu- 
mined a  painted  and  bleeding  image  of  the  Saviour, 
which  hung  from  the  cross  with  a  frightful  reality. 
Hard  by  was  a  picture  of  Our  Lady  of  Grief;  her 
head  cast  down,  and  big  tears  coursing  down  her 
cheeks.  The  people,  as  they  entered,  crossed 
themselves,  fell  devoutly  on  their  knees,  and  moved 
their  lips  as  if  in  silent  prayer.  These  were  some 
of  the  same  I  had  seen  just  before,  dancing  with 
such  frantic  gayety'in  the  arena;  and  I  marvelled 
how  they  could  so  suddenly  pass  from  the  extreme 
of  worldly  hilarity  to  such  a  depth  of  devotion. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  theatre,  to  see  the 
Barber  of  Seville.  The  words  were  in  Spanish 
instead  of  Italian,  the  acting  and  singing  being 
both  bad.  However, .the  orchestra,  though  small, 
was  good,  as  it  usually  is  in  Spain ;  and  at  the  close 
of  the  opera  we  were  compensated  for  the  penance 
we  had  been  doing,  by  the  rattling  of  the  castanets 
and  the  graceful  movements  of  a  couple  of  dan- 
cers, exhibiting  the  harmonious  inflections  of  the 
Aragonese  jota.    No  sooner  was  the  entertainment 


SPAIN    REVISITED. 


169 


over,  and  the  audience  dispersing,  than  the  hungry 
scene-shifters  were  engaged  in  preparing  the  thea- 
tre for  a  masquerade-ball,  which  was  to  take  place 
there,  and  which,  being  the  first  of  the  season, 
was  expected  to  be  well  attended.  I  went  home 
to  supper  and  returned  for  ci  few  moments,  as  the 
dancing  was  just  beginning  among  what  seemed  a 
very  brilliant  collection  of  persons.  Among  the 
foremost  figured  the  officers  of  a  regiment  of  the 
guards  in  garrison  at  Zdragoza,  in  their  full  uni- 
form, and  wearing  over  their  dress  a  broad  black 
badge  of  mourning,  for  the  death  of  the  king. 
There  were  a  great  many  pretty  women ;  indeed, 
the  women  of  Aragon,  and  particularly  those  of 
Zaragoza,  are  celebrated  for  their  beauty. 
VOL.  I. — H      .  15  .    . 


I 


170  SPAIN    REVISITED. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

ZARAGOZA    AND    MADRID. 

Ijeave  Zaragoza — Mountain  Ascent— Central  Plateau  of  Spain — 
Halt  to  Breakfast — Fellow-Passengers — Ladies  and  Maids — Cala- 
tayud — Night— Table-Talk — Exile's  Story — Political  Discussion 
— Guadalaxara — Alacala — View  of  Madrid — The  Exile's  Recom- 
pense. 

Bethinking  myself  that  we  were  to  be  awaken- 
ed the  next  morning  at  the  iidur  of  two,  I  left  the 
scene  of  gayety  in  the  Zaragoza  theatre  to  repose 
a  little  in  anticipation,  or,  in  sea  phrase,  to  bottle 
up  a  little  sleep,  my  nautical  experience  having 
taught  me  that  a  morning  watch  was  but  a  dis- 
agreeable and  drowsy  affair,  when  the  hours  of  the 
first  and  mid  had  been  spent  on  shore,  in  capering 
and  carousing.  In  due  time  we  were  aroused  from 
our  unfinished  sleep,  furnished  with  chocolate,  and 
then  stowed  away  in  the  diligence,  where  I  found 
myself  fitted  in,  like  a  wedge,  between  two  fe- 
males, with  my  back  against  the  door.  We  start- 
ed from  tne  courtyard  of  the  inn  with  curses, 
whoops,  and  free  exercise  of  their  whips,  on  the 
part  of  the  drivers,  "and  were  whirled  out  of  the 
open  gate  at  a  full  gallop. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  171 

Before  taking  leave  of  Zaragoza,  it  may  be  well 
to  say  that  its  inhabitants  and  the  Aragonese  gen- 
erally bear  a  high  character  among  the  Spaniards. 
They  are  celebrated  for  their  courage,  their  con- 
stancy, and  their  unshaken  honesty :  though,  like 
the  Catalans,  thev  are  said  to  be  somewhat  rude 
of  speech  and  deficient  in  courtesy,  yet  they  have  a 
thousand  good  and  solid  qualities  to  recommend 
them  to  esteem.  Their  nobility  claims  to  be  the 
first  in  Spain ;  counting  among  its  numbers  some 
eight  families,  who  call  themselves  la  nobleza  de 
la  naturaleza,  in  contradistinction  to  a  nobility  "of 
more  recent  creation,  and  because  its  origin  is  lost 
in  the  remoteness  of  unrecorded  centuries. 

We  had  not  been  long  without  the  walls  of  Zara- 
goza before  we  began  ascending  the  mountains 
which  I  had  seen  to  the  south,  from  the  elevation 
of  the  Torre  Nueva.  The  road  by  which  we 
climbed  gradually  upward,  seemed  to  have  been 
recently  made ;  it  wound  along -the  ridges  and 
through  the  gaps,  making  the  ascent  everywhere 
easy  and  convenient ;  and  was  constructed  through- 
out with  a  skill  and  hardihood  which  strongly  re- 
minded me  of  the  beautiful  road  by  which,  years 
before,  I  had  descended  from  La  Mancha  into 
Andalusia,  along  the  steep  side  of  the  Sierra  Mo- 

H  2      .        •  .  .         .^ 


172  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

rena.  There  was  something  too  in  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  to  call  to  mind  the  approaches  to  the  sunny 
Andalusia.  The  country  was  everywhere  covered 
with  an  elaborate  cultivation ;  and  I  thought  I  had 
never  before  seen,  unless,  perhaps,  in  the  environs 
of  Bourdeaux,  such  an  interminable  extent  of  vine- 
yards. '       ' 

When  we  at  length  reached  the  summit,  after 
hours  of  toil,  we  did  not  again  descend  ;  but  found 
an  immense  plain  stretching  interminably  before 
us.  We  had  reached,  in  fact,  the  level  of  New 
Castile,  and  that  elevated  plateau  which  forms  the 
central  region  of  Spain,  and  which,  whether  you 
approach  by  Valencia,  Andalusia,  or  on  the  side  of 
the  Pyrenees,  can  only  -be  reached  by  tedious  as- 
cents up  mountains  which  have  but  one  side,  and 
which  become  insignificant  and  disappear  the  rtio- 
ment  you  have  overcome  them.  Nothing  can  con- 
vey to  the  mind  more  completely  the  idea  of  soli- 
tude and  desolation  than  this  denuded  and  monoto- 
nous region.  During  miles  the  traveller  looks  in 
vain  for  villages,  habitations,  and  the  haunts  of  his 
fellow-man ;  for  meadows,  for  browsing  cattle,  or 
for  any  object  whatever  to  call  up  the  idea  of  ani- 
mation. Trees,  the  great  ornament,  the  very  plu- 
mage of  nature,  are  nowhere  to  be  seen ;  or,  per- 
haps, after  the  expiration  of  hours,  you  catch  sight 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  173 

of  a  single  gloomy  and  misanthropic  oak,  which 
you  pity  for  its  loneliness. 

Towards  eleven  we  halted  to  eat  a  meal  which 
the  traveller  might  call  his  breakfast  or  dinner,  ac- 
cording to  his  fancy,  as  it  bore  the  double  name  of 
almuerzo-comida.  It  was  a  solid  repast,  suited  to 
the  wants  of  travellers,  and  furnishing  them  with 
an  ample  means  so  to  distend  the  coals  of  the 
stomach  as  to  keep  them  from  chafing  and  making 
war  upon  each  other,  under  the  irritating  influence 
of  rapid  motion. 

And  now,  for  the  first  time,  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  entire  assembly  of  my  fellow-travel- 
lers.   The  conductor,  a  little  Catalan,  whose  dress," 
consisting  of  red  cap,  calesero  jacket,  and  sheep- 
skin trousers,  was  a  sort  of  congress,  in  which  all 
the  costumes,  of  Spain  were  represented;  and  the 
escopetero,  or   guard,  a    tall    and   elegant   )^oung 
Granadian,  in  the  graceful  dress  of  his  country, 
who  had  doubtless  preluded  to  his   present  pro- 
fession as  a  smuggler  and  robber,  hastened  to  undo 
the  doors  and  set  free  the  imprisoned  inhabitants 
of  the  different  apartments  of  our  commor)  vehicle. 
From  the  coupe  descended  three  ladies,  whom  I  af- 
terward discovered  to  be,  the  one  the  wife  of  a  gen- 
eral officer,  the  other  two,  an  elderly  lady  and  her 
niece,  belonging  to  the  family  of  a  grandee  of  the 

15* 


174  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

first  class,  who  were  going  to  spend  the  winter  in 
Madrid ;  they  had  come  from  Pamplona  to  Zara- 
goza  in  a  wagon,  and  had  been  courteously  treated 
by,  the  Carlists,  who  had  examined  their  passports 
and  luggage  at  Tafalla. 

In  the  interior  were  the  director  of  the  royal  to- 
bacco manufactories  of  Barcelona,  or  tobacconist- 
general,  with  an  immensely  fat  wife  and  a  number 
of  children  ;  another  lady,  and  a  very  distinguished 
member  of  the  Cortes,  whose  name  had  been  in- 
cluded in  the  last  amnesty,  and  who  was  returning 
to  his  native  country  and  the  endearments  of  family, 
wife,  and  children,  after  an  absence  of  more  than  ten 
years.  In  the  Rotunda  I  had  for  my  immediate 
companions,  a  celebrated  architect  and  member  of 
the  Academy  of  Saint  Ferdinand,  wlio  had  been  on 
a  visit  to  France,  a  Biscayan  merchant,  and  three 
doncellas,  or  damsels  to  the  ladies  in  the  front 
apartment.  One  of  them,  my  immediate  compan- 
ion, was  exceedingly  pretty,  with  the  complexion 
of  a  mountaineer,  and  full  of  grace  and  nature. 
She  had,  too,  one  of  the  sweetest  toned  and  most 
thrilling  voices  in  the  world,  in  which  she  related, 
for  our  entertainment  on  the  journey,  a  variety  of 
tales  of  murder,  violence,  robbery,  deception,  and 
unhappy  love.  I.  was  exceedingly  amused  with 
her  account  of  the  attempts  which  had  been  made 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  175 

against  her  own  peace  by  a  young  blood,  who  had 
followed  her  from  place  to  place,  as  she  accompa- 
nied her  mistress  in  h^r  travels,  hovering  about  the 
houses  in  which  she  lodged,  pursuing  her  at  the 
promenade,  accosting  her  at  mass,  and  pouring  forth 
his  eloquence  in  love-letters.     She  had,  however, 
triumphed  over  all  his  arts,  and  evidently  felt  a 
perfect  confidence  in  her  own  power  to  resist  any 
wiles,  however  insidious,  that  might  hereafter  be 
practised  against  her  by  this  persevering  Lothario. 
At  breakfast  the  damsel  was  again  beside  me, 
her  lady  being  imrnediately  opposite.    That.ladies, 
belonging  to  the  high  aristocracy  of  Spain,  of  a 
nobility  often  se  ancient  that  it  is  lost  inthe  obscu- 
rity of  remote  ages,  should  be  seated  at  the  same 
board  and  served  from  the  same  dish  with  their 
own  servants ;  and  that  the  brother  of  a  duke,  -for 
such  was  the  individual   now  returning  from  his 
long  exile,  should,  fn  dispensing  a  portion  of  the 
repast,  attend,  with  equal  courtesy,  to  the  wants  of 
the  one  and  of  the  -other,  may  astonish  my  repub- 
lican readers  at  home,-and  shock  their  sentiments 
of  exclusiveness.     But,  accustomed   as   I  was  to 
Spain,  I  saw  nothing  to' wdnder  at,  though  a  great 
deal  to  admire,  in  this- exhibition  of  a  simplicity,  in 
no  wise  inconsistent  with  real  dignity,  among  a 
people  whose  manners  and  social  intercourse  .adrait 


176  SPAIN  REVISITED, 

of  more  equality  than  any  other.  In  some  coTin- 
tries  the  existence  of  an  aristocracy  entails  the 
curse  of  servility  upon  a  w^hole  nation.  The  infe- 
rior classes  are  for  ever  striving  at  a  fruitless  imita- 
tion of  their  betters ;  for  where  there  is  imitation 
there  can  be  no  reality.  There  each  man  respects 
himself  as  he  approaches  to  the  privileged  class, 
despising  and  frowning  upon  those  who  are  re- 
moved from  it  in  the  same  proportion,  and  his 
peace  of  mind  and  happiness  are  sacrificed  in 
daily  efforts  to  ascend,  and  in  the  rebukes  which 
grow  out  of  them.  There  none  but  the  great 
and  their  associates  are  well  bred,  simply  because 
none  but  the  great  are  natural.  Not  so  in  Spain ; 
where  each  man  is  contented  with. his  lot,  and  the 
peasant  bears  himself  with  as  much  ease  and  dig- 
nity as  his  lord.^         ■      .  ,  ' 

Having  allowed  us  ample  time  for  our  meal,  the 
conductor  came  to  say  that  whenever  we  wished 
we  would  set  forward.  There  was  no  peremptory 
"  en  voiture,  messieurs  .'"  from  a  surly  and  imperti- 
nent fellow,  who,  after  curtaiHng  the  passengers  of 
the  lime  necessary  to  swallow  their  food,  will  stop 
a  dozen  times  by  the  way,  to  light  his  pipe  or 
hoire  la  goutte,  and,  when  in  motion,  advance 
only  at  the  pace  of  a  tortoise.  When  we  were 
ready,  each  sought  his  accustomed  place  ;  the  con- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  177 

ductor  and  the  guard,  who  looked  upon  us  as  in- 
trusted to  their  care,  and  who  regularly  came,  at 
each  stopping-place,  to  say  to  the  damsels  "  quiere 
usted  hajar  V — assisting  us  to  mount  the  steps, 
and  then  the  doors  being  closed,  the  postillion 
mounted  the  leading  mule,  plied  his  spurs  and 
whip,  accompanied  with  the  united  shouts  and 
blows  of  the  running  postillion,  the  conductor,  and 
the  denizens  of  the  inn,  and  our  eight  mules 
whirled  us  off  like  a  rocket. 

Our  road  now  led  us,  for  some  leagues,  through 
a  very  dreary  country.  There  had  recently  been 
no  rain ;  and  the  sun,  without  clouds  or  any  appa- 
rent atmosphere  to  mitigate  his  ardour,  and  power- 
fully reflected  from  the  arid  soil,  produced  a  heat 
which,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  when  the  season 
is  considered,  was  very  uncomfortable.  The  fine^ 
ly-powdered  dust,  too,  set  in  motion  by  a  train  of 
eight  mules,  rose  round  our  diligence  in  a  dense 
cloud,  and  drove'into  the  Rotunda  until  we  were 
all  wellnigh  stifled.  What  would  I  not  have 
given  for  a  few  drops  of  the  rain  with  which  I  had 
left  France  and  England,  in  a  drenched  and  almost 
drowning  condition  ?  ■  ••     .    .         '; 

The  monotony  of  our  ride  was  somewhat  varied 
in  approaching  Calatayud,  which  is  situated  in  a 
narrow  pass  or  ravine,  dug  deep  below  the  surface 

H  3 


178  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

of  the  plain,  by  the  httle  river  Jalon,  a  brawling 
stream,  which,  being  drained  above  for  irrigation, 
fertilizes  its  valley  throughout  its  extent.  The 
transition  in  passing  suddenly  into  this  ravine, 
from  the  uncultivated  waste  without  to  the  laboured 
condition  and  high  fertility  of  the  gardens  on  either 
bank,  from  the  dust  and  heat  to  the  lively  babbling 
of  the  river,  and  to  the  cool. air  which  followed  its 
downward  course,  from  solitude  and  desolation  to 
the  centre  of  a  considerable  town,  with  its  bustle 
and  animation,  was  more  than  agreeable. 

The  town  of  Calatayud,  however,  would  be  con- 
sidered pretty  and  interesting  under  any  circum- 
stances, and  however  approached.  It  is  situated 
partly  in  the  valley  itself,  partly  on  one  of  the 
hills  which  enclose  it,  with  a  number  of  antiquated 
towers,  already  in  a  different  style  from  those  of 
Zaragoza,  rising  from  its  churches  and  convents. 
A  range  of  squalid  habitations  is  seen  towards  tlie 
steep  brink  of  the  overhanging  precipice,  being 
excavated  into  the  rock,  their  windows  looking 
out  upon  the  roofs  of  the  houses  in  the  bottom  of 
the  valley,  with  clothes  hanging  from  them,  and 
women  gazing  out  at  the  passing  diligence,  while 
the  smoke  ascends  from  the  hill  above,  which 
thence  seems  on  fire.  To  complete  the  picture, 
above  all,  and  crowning  the  highest  crest,  you  dis- 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  179 

cover  the  antique  forms  of  a  Moorish  castle,  in  a 
nearly  perfect  slate,  and  which  you  readily  recog- 
nise by  the  unerring  guide  of  its  horseshoe  arches. 
The  genius  of  the  departed  Moslems  seems  hover- 
ing above  and  looking  down  with  triumph  on  the 
degeneracy  of  their  conquerors. 

It  was  the  feast  of  the  kings ;  and  the  inhabitants 
of  Calatayud  were  in  their  best  clothes,  and  seemed 
to  have  taken  holyday.  They  clustered  about  the 
inn  to  see  the  diligence,  and  gaze  with  curiosity  on 
the  dusty  figures,  of  the  travellers,  speculate  on 
their  dress,  and,  perchance,  envy  their  restlessness 
and  locom.otive  life,  as  much  as  I  envied  them  their 
immoveableness.  I  pity  the  man  who  is  doomed 
to  lead  a  wandering  life,  yet  dream  only  of  happi- 
ness in  a  stationary  one :  *'  Verily,  so  much  motion 
is  so  much  unquietnes§  and  so  much  jest  is  so 
much  of  heaven."  *    '   •  '  • 

At  the  close  of  day  we  halted  at  an  isolated  inn 
erected  expressly  to  be  the  stopping-place  of  the 
diligence.  It  was  spacious ;  the  dormitories  were 
comfortably  matted ;  there  was  a  blazing  fire  in  a 
sitting-room,  furnished  with  rush-bottomed  chairs 
and  sofas,  and  our  supper-room  vv^as  heated  with 
braziers  of  burning  embers  placed  beneath  the 
table.  The  supper  was  abundant  and  neatly  serv- 
ed, in  a  sort  of  mean  style  between  the  Spanish 


180  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

and  Italian,  for  our  host  was  of  the  latter  country. 
It  was  one  of  the  meals  I  have  eaten  in  my  life 
which  I  remember  afterward ;  for  our  party  was,  on 
the  whole,  an  agreeable  one,  a.nd  the  conversation 
was  sprightly,  and  sustained  in  that  wellbred  spirit 
by  which  it  is  characterized  in  Spain,  even  among 
the  humblest  classes;  it  turned  chiefly  on  political 
subjects,  all  of  the   party  being  liberals,  unless, 
perhaps,  my  little  friend,  the  lady's  maid,  who  said 
nothing  to  be  sure,  being  in  a  minority,  but  who 
betrayed  a  certain  disapprobation  of  countenance 
that  showed  that  she  shared  the  popular  feeling  of 
her  native  Navarre:  yet  her  mistress  was  a  liberal. 
How  is  it  that  the  privileged  classes,  elsewhere 
opposed  to  change,  are  so  generally  favourable  to 
revolution  in  Spain,  while  the  peasants  are  all  con- 
servatives?    It  is  because  the  laws  in  Spain  are, 
in  some  measure,  in  favour  of  the  poor ;  because 
the  rich  few  have  not  there  a  patent  of  legislation 
for  the  poor  many,  nor  the  class  of  landlords  for  the 
tenants  of  their  property,  who  are  not  tenants  at 
the  will  of  landlords,  but  at  their  own;  because,  in 
short,  the  despotism  of  one  is  not  nearly  so  oppres- 
sive as  the  despotism  of  a  thousand.     There  is 
nothing  but  democracy  that  can  effectually  protect 
the  interests  of  the  mass ;  and,  next  to  a  democ- 
racy, a  despotism  is  more  likely  to  look  with  a 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  181 

paternal  and  equal  eye  on  all  below  it  than  a  mixed 
and  modified  system,  which,  giving  power  to 
wealth,  converts  it  into  the  tyrant  of  labour.  To 
be  one  of  the  booted  and  spuiTcd  in  a  country  of 
privileges  and  exceptions,  is  doubtless  a  pleasant 
thing,  especially  while  as  yet  there  is  no  danger 
of  the  people's  wresting  back,  by  sudden  revolution, 
the  power  and  equality  which  have  been  slowly 
and  stealthily  filched  from  them  with  the  lapse  of 
centuries ;  but  to  be  aught  else  there  is  to  be  a 
beast  of  burden  and  a  slave.  •    •        ' 

The  burden  of  the  conversation,  during  our  meal, 
was  sustained  chiefly  by  our  exile.  He  was  a  man 
of  genius,  whose  speeches  had  been  characterized 
by  great  eloquence  in  ihe  Cortes,  and  who  was 
also  not  without  reputation  as  a  poet.  I  dwelt 
with  pleasure  on  his  words,  and,  by  the  force  of 
sympathy,  participated  in  the  delight  with  which 
he  was  returning  to  his  native  land.  He  found 
every  thing  improved  by  ten  years  of  absence.  We 
were  travelling  in  a  diligence  better  than  any  he 
had  seen  in  France ;  and  such  an  inn  as  that  of 
which  we  were  then  enjoying  the  hospitality,  and 
such  a  supper  as  we  had  just  eaten,  he. had  never 
before  seen  in  a  Spanish  inn.  The  face  of  things 
seemed  to  him  everywhere  improved;  and,  indeed, 
he  was  prepared  to  look  on  every  thing  with  a 

16 


182  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

favouring  eye,  as  he  recounted  the  days  of  his  exile. 
In  England  alone  had  he-been  hospitably  received; 
in  liberal  France  he  found  himself  scarcely  tolera- 
ted ;  watched,  annoyed  about  his  passport,  and  pes- 
tered -by  the  police,  he  had  been  glad  to  escape; 
in  the  Austrian  dominions  his  condition  became 
worse :  he  had  entered  the  pope's  territories  on  the 
faith  of  a  passport  from  a  nuncio,  and  vs^as  rudely 
imprisoned  and  conducted  by  soldiers  to  the  fron- 
tier— nothing  but  the  memory  of  his  vi^ife  here 
saved  him  from  the  crime  of  suicide ;  in  Sicily  he 
was  still  persecuted ;  and  it  was  only  in  Malta  that 
he  again  found  protection  and  friendship  under  the 
British  flag.  The  memory  of  these  wrongs  and 
this  kindness  seemed  to  dwell  in  his  bosom  with 
Spanish  constancy.  His  wife  had  joined  him  in 
Malta,  and  they  had  passed  several  years  together 
there,  until  two  years  before,  when  she  had  returned 
to  watch  the  progress  of  events  and  sue  for  his  par- 
don, and  was  now  waiting  his  return,  in  company 
with  a  mother,  from  whom  he  had  been  so  much 
longer  separated. 

The  conversation,  in  which  I  had  joined,  led  me 
naturally  enough,  and  without  any  impertinence,  to 
express  the  very  great  dread  I  had  lest  the  present 
government  should  not  be  able  .to  sustain  itself,  and 
lest,  by  pushing  matters  prematurely,  the  counter- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  183 

revolution  should  drive  Spain  back  to  a  worse 
condition  than  she  had  been  in  for  the  last  few 
years.  I  argued  that  the  people  generally  in  Spain 
were  under  the  influence  of  the  clergy,  and  that 
they  were  taught  by  them  to  cling  to  their  ancient 
institutions,  and  hold  all  innovation  in  horror ;  and 
that  no  government  could  sustain  itself  in  Spain, 
or  anywhere,  which  was  not  in  harmony  with  the 
wants  and  wishes  of  the-  majority.  This  brought 
down  the  ire  of  the  whole  party,  who  attacked  me 
tooth  and  nail*  for  advocating  a  despotic  govern- 
ment in  other  countries,  while  I  was  myself  the 
citizen  of  a  republic.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  told 
them  that  I  was  devoted  to  the  institutions  of  my 
own  country  because  they  were  the  only  ones  suit- 
ed to  it,  not  less  than  because  I  esteemed  them 
abstractly  the  best,  for  the  same  reasons  that  I  had 
serious  misgivings,  founded  on  the  complete  failure 
of  the  late  Constitutional  government,  as  to  the 
workings  of  a  liberal  system  in  Spain.  I  professed 
my  utter  contempt  for  the  divine  origin  of  kings 
and  of  legitimacy,  and  the  belief  that  if  a  country 
had  a  defective  government,  it  was  because  it  pre- 
ferred it,  and  was  not  yet  fitted  to  live  peaceably 
undef  a  better  one,  insisting  that  peace  was  the 
first  want  of  nations  as  of  individuals,  and  the  great- 
est essential  of  happiness ;  that  no  country  could 


1 


184  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

be  liappy  without  it;  and  that  liberty  had  never 
been  known  to  advance  itself  in  civil  war,  but 
rather  in  times  of  profound  peace  and  national 
prosperity.  How  great,  indeed,  should  be  the 
future  and  prospective  good  to  arise  from  the  new 
form  of  government,  to  compensate  for  the  immense 
amount  of  misery  which  the  disputed  succession 
and  the  civil  war  were  at  that  moment  entailing 
upon  the  country !        ' '  •• 

No  one  would  agree  with  me  in  opinion,  and, 
indeed,  it  would  have  been  hardly  fair  to  have 
looked  for  assent  to  such  a  proposition  from  an 
individual,  who,  from  honest  motives,  had  taken 
the  lead  in  the  previous  revolution,  and  who  owed 
the  removal  of  the  interdict,  under  which  he  had  so 
long  languished  in  banishment,  to  a  return  of  his 
party  to  power.  The  freedom  with  which  we  were 
now  discussing  the  matter  was,  at  all  events,  an 
argument  in  favour  of  the  new  system ;  and,  when 
I  afterward  saw  the  individual  in  question  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family,  I  could  not  but  deprecate  a 
catastrophe  which  would  again  reduce  him  to  the 
condition  of  a  houseless  wanderer.  He  seemed, 
however,  in  a  subsequent  conversation,  to  dream 
of  the  possibility  of  such  a  result,  as  he  already 
spoke  of  the  new  place  of  his  exile,  and  his  deter- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  185 

mination  to  go  to  the  United  Stales  when  the  day 
of  the  second  emigration  should  arrive. 

The  next  day  we  prosecuted  our  journey  without 
interest  and  without  accident,  until  towards  the  close 
of  it,  when  we  descried  the  towers  of  Guadalaxara 
before  us,  marking  the  limit  of  our  drive.     The 
road  continued  good  to  the  very  gate;  beyond  it 
we  plunged  at  once  into  a  succession  of  ruts,  hol- 
lows, and  sloughs,  through  which  our  mules  were 
scarce  able  to  drag  the  diligence,  threatening  to 
dislocate  not   only   it,   but  every  joint   of  the  ill- 
starred  passengers.    Indeed,  we  were  more  justled 
^nd  fatigued  during  this  toil  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
through  the  streets    of   Guadalaxara  than  by  the 
whole  previous  journey.     There  was,  moreover,  a 
combination  of  ill  odours  of  every  possible  degree 
of  kind  and  intensity,  that  were  trodden    into   ac- 
tivity by  our  squadron  of  rpules.     The  condition 
of  this  road,  forming,  as  it  does,  part  of  the  royal 
highway  from  Madrid  to  Zaragoza,  is  a  proof  at 
once  of  Spanish  nastiness  and  Spanish  indepen- 
dence, showing  how  the  alcalde  of   a   provincial 
town  can  resist  the  royal  will  and  the  public  con- 
venience.    There  formerly  existed  a  manufactory 
of  cloth  in  Guadalaxara,  established  by  the  creative 
benevolence  of  Charles  III.,  in  an  ancient  palace 
which  existed  here.     It  was  in  a  very  flourishing 

16* 


186  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

condition  for  many  years ;  but  of  late  it  has  de- 
clined, and  the  mal- administration  which  has  ex- 
tended to  every  thing  connected  with  the  govern- 
ment in  Spain,  has  at  length  caused  it  to  disappear 

entirely.  • 

It  was  with  a  sentiment  of.  no  ordinary  pleasure 
that  I  met,  at  the  posadaof  Guadalaxara,  a  person 
whom  I  had  seen  on  my  pr&vious  visit  to  Spain. 
As  yet  Lhad  not  crossed  any  of  the  various  tracks 
of  my  former  journ-ey,  or  met  with  a  single  person 
who  was  then  known  to  me,  or  any  object  what- 
ever to  awaken  the  train  of  my  recollections. 
This  person  was  the  wife  of  the  conductor  Loren- 
zo, whorti  I  had  accompanied  from  Valencia  to 
Madrid,  and  who.  was  then  keeping  the  inn  at  the 
town  of  Quintanar,  one  of  the  sleeping-places  of 
the  diligence.  They  had  lately  removed  to  Guada- 
laxara, because  the  route  through  Quintanar  was 
soon  to  be  abandoned  for  the  more  direct  one 
about  to  be  opened  from  Madrid  to  Valencia. 
She  was  still  hale,  stout,  and  comely  to  look  at, 
after  the  lapse-of  more  than  seven  years.  When 
I  saw  how  lightly  lime  had  laid  his  finger  on  her, 
I  half  fancied  myself  back  to  the-  happy  and  care- 
less age  of  three-and-twenty,  when,  if  not  as  lusty 
as  a  young  ^agle,  I  had  yet  a  sufficient  stock  of  life, 
and  animation,  and  promptness  to  be  pleased.     I 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  187 

shook  her  heartily  by  the  hand,  asked  after  her 
husband,  whom  she  told  me  we  must  have  passed 
on  the  road  the  day  before,  and  made  myself 
acquainted  with  the  intermediate  changes  and 
chances  of  her  domestic  affairs.  ,  - 

The  inn  at  Guadalaxara  bore  evidence  to  the 
same  neat  housewifery  which  had  characterized 
that  of  Quinianar.  There  was  the  same  cheerful 
fire,  the  table  spread  with  spotless  linen  and  a  for- 
midable array  of  covers  for  our  supper,  and  we 
were  ushered  at  once  into  the  common  chamber, 
where  a  series  of  iron  bedsteads  were  arranged  at 
regular  distances  on  either  hand,  and  furnished 
with  scrupulous  neatness  and  attention  to  mere 
bodily  comfort,  although  with  a  total  disregard  of 
the  decencies  of  a  separate  dormitory.  Here  a 
youthful  barber  attended  to  prepare  us  for  entering 
the  metropolis  on  the  morrow.  He  was  gayly 
dressed  in  the  Andalusian  style,  performed  his 
offices  with  singular  grace  and  dexterity,  enter- 
tained us  with  the  latest  gossip  of  his  town,  and 
furnished  no  bad  representative  of  the  far-famed 
Figaro. 

Meantime,  a  number  of  persons  came  to  pay 
their  court  to  our  fellow-traveller,  the  returning 
exile.  It  seems  that  his  family  possessed  a  palace 
and  garden  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  the 


188  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

intendant,  the  farmer,  and  other  officers,  having 
heard  of  his  arrival,  now  came  to  pay  their  respects 
and  offer  their  services.  I  was  pleased  with  the 
exhibition  of  interest  and  attachment  on  the  part  of 
the  dependants,  and  with  the  kindness  with  which 
they  were  received.  As  one  recollection  and  asso- 
ciation recalled  another,  question  after  question 
was  asked,  as  to  the  fate  of  individuals,  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  grounds,  or  of  particular  trees  and 
arbours,  which  were  endeared  by  the  memory  of 
youthful  and  happy  hours  spent  beneath  their  shade. 
During  this  whole  journey  I  enjoyed,  indeed,  nc 
trifling  pleasure  from  the  intercourse  of  this  intelli- 
gent gentleman,  and  from  the  peculiar  excitement 
of  feeling  with  which  he  was  passing  from  one  joy 
to  another,  to  the  climax  of  perfect  happiness  that 
awaited  him  the  next  day,  in  rushing  into  the  pres- 
ence of  his  family.  -        - 

The  next  morning  saw  us  in  motion  at  an  early 
hour.  Having  passed  without  entering  the  once 
renowned  Alcala,  we  began  to  see,  on  all  sides, 
symptoms  of  our  approach  to  the  Spanish  metrop- 
olis. Carts  and  wagons,  caravans  of  mules,  and 
files  of  humbler  asses,  came  pouring,  by  various 
roads,  into  the  great  vomitory  by  which  we  were 
entering,  laden  with  the  various  commodities,  the 
luxuries  as  well  as  the  necessaries  of  life,  brought 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  189 

from  foreign  countries  or  from  remote  provinces, 
to  sustain  the  unnatural  existence  of  a  capital 
which  is  so  remote  from  all  its  resources,  and 
which  produces  scarce  any  thing  that  it  consumes. 
The  farther  we  advanced,  the  greater  became  the 
concourse  of  men  and  animals.  And  now,  too,  we 
began  to  see  horsemen  jantily  dressed  in  slouched 
hat,  embroidered  jacket,  and  worked  spatterdashes, 
reining  fiery  Andalusian  coursers,  each  having  the 
Moorish  carbine  hung  at  hand  beside  him.  Per- 
haps these  were  farmers  of  the  better  order ;  but 
they  had  not  the  air  of  men  accustomed  to  labour ; 
they  were  rather,  perhaps,  Andalusian  horse-dealers, 
or,  maybe,  robbers,  of  those  who  so  greatly  abound 
about  the  capital,  who,  for  the  moment,  had  laid 
aside  their  professional  character.  ' 

At  the  inn  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  drawn  up  a 
highly-gilded  carriage,  hung  very  low,  and  drawn  by 
five  gayly-decorated  mules,  while  two  Andalusians 
sat  on  the  large  wooden  platform,  planted,  without 
the  intervention  of  springs,  upon  the  fore  wheels, 
which  served  for  a  coach-box.  As  we  came  up,  a 
gentleman  thrust  his  head  forth,  to  call  upon  us  to 
halt,  and  to  ask  for  a  person  whom  he  expected. 
It  was  an  illustrious  duke,  the  brother  of  our  exile. 
They  were  soon  locked  in  each  other's  arms  ;  then 
they  mounted  together  into  the  coach,  and  followed 


190  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

at  full  speed,  talking  with  great  earnestness  and 
excitement.  The  duke,  who  was  smoking,  and 
wiio  probably  fell  less,  offered  his  brother  a  cigar, 
which  being  accepted,  they  puffed  and  talked 
away  with  rival  earnestness.  Presently  came 
riding  along,  on  a  beautiful  Arab,  with  Moorish 
harness,  a  cousin  of  the  gentleman,  another  duke, 
not  less  celebrated  for  his  descent  from  the  man 
who  fixed  the  epoch  which  will  for  ever  divide 
ancient  from  modern  times,  than  for  his  own  skill 
as  a  horseman  and  a  matadore.  Here  was'  another 
joyful  recognition,  done,  however^  on  horseback, 
and  without  stopping ;  hands  were  shaken,  and  ci- 
gars lighted,  while  the  horseman  scampered  along  as 
secure  and  fearless  as  a  Zegri, 

And  now,  thrusting  my  head  impatiently  from  the 
window  of  the  Rotunda,  as  we  reached  the  summit 
of  a  gentle  eminence,  I  beheld  Madrid  close  at 
hand.  It  lay  surrounded  by  a  level  and  seemingly 
interminable  expanse  of  green  wheat-fields;  and 
its  steeples,  domes,  and  towers  were  standing  per- 
fectly well  defined  against  the  bold  background  of 
the  lofty  and  towering  Guadarama.  The  day  was 
beautifully  bright;  no  cloud  diminished  the  ardour 
or  tempered  the  rays  of  the  dazzling  sun,  which 
shone  full  and  brilliantly  upon  the  white-buildings 
of  the  metropolis,  or  were  thrown  back,  as  from 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  191 

polished   silver,  by  the   snovi^s   that   covered   the 
whole  extent  of  the  mountains. 

We  vi^ere  now  approaching  the  city,  and  the 
feehngs  of  the  exile,  and  of  those  whom  he  was 
about  to  meet,  were  approaching  a  climax  of  in- 
tense and  painful  interest.  The  noble  horseman, 
now  giving  the  spurs  and  rein  to  his  impatient  ani- 
mal, disappeared  like  lightning  in  advance.  He 
had  probably  gone  to  announce  that  there  was  no 
disappointment,  that  he  was  indeed  coming,  and 
that  the  lost  was  found.  Presently  I  caught  sight 
of  him  beside  the  door  of  a  carriage ;  a  liveried  ser- 
vant was  letting  down  the  steps,  and  a  lady,  some- 
what advanced  in  age,  descended  in  hurry  and  agi- 
tation, followed  by  the  light  and  graceful  figure  of 
a  female  in  the  bloom  of  life.  The  exile  was  soon 
upon  his  feet;  the  pair  flew  into  each  other's  arms, 
inspired  by  the  magnetic  and  constraining  influence 
of  mutual  love.  Soon  the  parent  claimed  an  em- 
brace, on  her  part  at  least,  as  fervent ;  then  the 
wife  again,  and  the  two  were  bound  together  by 
the  parental  arms.  I  could  look  no  longer;  the 
scene  was  becoming  painful,  even  for  the  uninter- 
ested witness  'like  myself.  I  felt,  too,  that  there 
was  sacrilege  even  in  mingling  one's  sympathy 
with  feelings  such  as  these.  What  years  of  sor- 
row are  not  repaid  by  the  rapture  of  a  moment  like 


192  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

this!.  What  a  concentration  of  tender,  generous, 
and  noble  sentiments  —  of  unalloyed  happiness 
and  virtuous  aspirations !  Oh,  that  a  man  could 
have  power  to  arrest  his  ever-fluctuating  existence 
at  such  a  point,  never  awakening  lo  a  weariness 
and  disappointment,  the  fault  of  which  is  almost 
ever  in  himself,  but  living  on  always  thus  pure  and 
intensely  happy,  nothing  desiring,  nothing  doubting 
of  his  own  happiness  or  of  the  affection  of  others. 


f 


i* 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  193 


CHAPTER    XII. 

MADRID, 

Enter  the  City — Gate  of  the  Sun — New  Encounter  with  Old  Friends 
— Don  Diego — Doiia  Florencia — Don  Valentine— Prado — Theatre 
— La  Mogigata — Bolero — The  Enraged  Chestnut  Women — Span- 
ish Actors  in  Tragedy  and  Farce— ^Masquerade — Its  Scenes — Es- 
cape. 

It  is  singular  with  hovi^  little  ceremony  one  is 

ushered  into  the  great  cities  of  Spain.     Without 

any  prelude,  without  a  single  note  of  preparation, 

without  any  succession  of  farmhouses,  villas  of 

wealthy  citizens,  country  palaces  of  the  nobility, 

or  environs  of  ai^y  sort,  I  now. found  myself,  at  the 

passing  of  a  gate,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  glories  of 

the  Spanish  metropolis.     Yet  the  effect  which  its 

magnificence  occasions  is,  perhaps,  on  this  account 

the  more  remarkable.     The  gate  of  Alcala  is,  in 

all  respects,  worthy  to  give  entrance  to  the  fairest 

quarter  of  the  capital,  being  one  of  those  faultless 

productions  whose  graceful  and  perfect  forms  the 

eye  dwells  on  with  a  pleasure  unqualified  by  the 

recognition  of  any  defect.    .  From  the  summit  of  the 

eminence  which  it  crowns,  you  look  down  upon 

churches,  convents,  and  palaces  of  the  great;,  the 
VOL.  I. — I  17 


194  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

Street  of  Alcala  is  thence  traced  to  its  termination 
in  the  Gate  of  the  Sun,  and  the  Prado,  so  full  of 
attraction,  is  spread  out  at  your  feet. 

Having  halted  wiihin  the  gate  to  attend  to  the 
requisite  formalities  prescribed  by  the  police,  and 
discharged  a  number  of  our  passengers  into  private 
carriages  of  friends  who  had  come  forth  to  vi^el- 
come  them,  we  got  in  motion  again,  and  were 
whirled  rapidly  down  the  hill,  leaving  the  garden 
of  the  Retiro  on  our  left  hand,  and  on  our  right  the 
barracks  of  the  Cuirassiers.  At  the  intersection  of 
the  Prado  we  were  again  arrested  by  a  fat  woman 
in  an  ancient  chariot,  drawn  by  sleek  mules.  It 
was'  the  wife  of  the  architect,  who  claimed  and 
entered  upon  possession  of  him,  smothei:ing  him 
with  embraces  as  soon  as  he  had  reached  her  side. 
The  delay  furnished  us  for  a  moment  with  the 
more  romantic  spectacle  of  the  various  alleys  of  the 
Prado,  seen  from  this  its  focus,  as  it  is  terminated 
on  the  one  hand  by  the  gate  of  Atocha,  on  the 
other  by  that  of  Recoletos.  The  noble  trees  were 
now  bare  of  leaves,  but  the  eye  took  in -agreeable 
objects  on  every  side:  the  gates,  the  playing  foun- 
tains, the  imposing  pile  of  the  museum,  which  I 
was  at  length  to  see  in  all  its  glory,  and  the  scat- 
tered groups  of  walkers  already  assembhng,  or 
basking,  as  they  reclined  upon  the  benches,  in  the 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  195 

full  blaze  of  an  unclouded  sun ;  towards  the  Reco- 
letos  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  shining  in  the  full 
panoply  of  casques  and  cuirasses,  w^as  performing 
its  evolutions.  *    .        "  '■ : 

The  street  of  Alcala,  w^hich  we  now  ascended, 
was  enclosed  on  either  side  by  public  buildings 
of  imposing  form,  or  else  the  fronts  of  the  houses 
were  tastefully  painted  and  shaded  to  represent 
pilasters,  friezes,  and  architraves,  and  the  various 
ornaments 'of  architecture;  at  its  termination  we 
found  ourselves  ia  the  Gate  of  the  Sun.  How 
many  ideas  and  impressions  may  be  received  in  a 
place  like  this  at  a  single  glance  !  A  man  might 
write  for  a  week,  and  after  all  convey  to  the  reader 
but  a  skeleton  of  all  that  he  saw  and  thought.  The 
scene  around  me  was  a  familiar  one ;  it  seemed  in 
all  things  unchanged  by  an  absence  of  so  many 
years.  Here  was  the  same  collection  of  idle  loun- 
gers, enveloped  in  their  cloaks,  which  I' had  been 
wont  to  see ;  the  same  fierce  militaires  curling 
their  mustaches  at  each  passing  dame ;  the  same 
venders  of  all  imaginable  wares — watermen,  orange- 
sellers,  egg  and  chestnut  women — each  with  the 
characteristic  cry  of  "  Water  !  who  drinks  it  ?" — 
**  Oranges  at  a  penny !" — *'  Chestnuts !  hot  and  fat !" 
— rung  out  in  prolonged  and  nasal  tones.     The 

Church  of  Good  Success  was  in  the  old  place,  and 

I  2 


196  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

its  clock,  the  great  regulator  of  the  neighbourhood, 
was  just  tolling  the  greatest  number  of  hours  it 
was  capable  of.  Below  stood  the  fountain,  sur- 
rounded by  its  circle  of  sturdy  Asturians,  employed 
in  filling  their  kegs  or  copper  vessels  for  their  cus- 
tomers, or  engaged  in  discussing  a  frugal  meal. 
The  great  compeers  of  these,  the  Gallician  porters, 
having  ropes  over  their  shoulders  to  indicate  their 
profession  as  bearers  of  burdens,  were  planted 
against  the  walls  of  the  houses  in  the  street  of  Al- 
cala,  enjoying  the  full  power  of.  the  sun,  occupy- 
ing the  whole  of  the  narrow  sidewalk,  and  driving 
the  limping  dandies  in  light  boots  on  the'  rough 
inequalities  of  the  pavement.  The  eight  streets 
which  here  meet  were  pouring  forth  their  custom- 
ary throngs — gay  or  antiquated  equipages,  trains 
of  mules,  well-mounted  horsemen,  columns  of 
marching  soldiers,  with  their  measured  tread  and 
tapping  drum.  Here,  too,  was  still  the  penthouse 
covering  the  memorialista,  as  he  sold  the  tickets  of 
the  hog  lottery,  while  beside  him,  spread  out  in  all 
the  luxury  of  sunny  indolence,  lay  apparently  the 
very  same  hog,  huge,  black,  an4  glossy,  which  I 
had  left  there.  Accustomed  as  I  was,  at  each  re- 
turn home  after  my  professional  cruises,  to  find 
the  face  of  things  changed,  and  my  native  city 
grown  beyond  my  recollection,  all  was  here  so 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  197 

similar  and  so  familiar  that  I  was  for  a  moment 
confounded,  and  half  disposed  to  fancy  that  my 
absence  was  imaginary. 

In  the  courtyard  of  the  diligence-company  every 
thing  was  unpacked  and  examined  as  carefully, 
by  the  custom-officers,  as  if  we  were  just  entering 
the  frontier.  There  is,  indeed,  as  regular  an  es- 
tablishment here  as  at  .Seville  or  at  Cadiz;  and 
the  building  where  all  vehicles,  except  the  diligen- 
ces, which  enjoy,  by  royal  favour,  a  peculiar  privi- 
lege, are  unladen,  is  several  times  as  spacious  and 
far  more  beautiful  than  the  custom-house  of  New- 
York,  which  possesses  alone  a  foreign  trade  great- 
er than  that  of  this  whole  kingdom  together.  The 
investigation,  however,  like  every  thing  else,  had 
its  end,  and  I  was  allowed  to  depart  with  my  lug- 
gage. 

Returning' to  the  Gate  of  the  Sun,  I  commenced 
ascending  the  street  of  Montera,  as  fast  as  the 
throng  of  idlers,  looking  at  French  prints  in  the 
shop-windows,  talking  politics,  or  bargaining  with 
old  women,  would  let  me.  There  was  no  paper 
tied  to  the  railings  of, my  old  balcony,  to  tell  me  it 
was  to  let:  so  I  did  not  like  to  lose  any  time  in 
getting  to  an  hotel,  for  the  purpose  of  changing  my 
dress.  The  Fonda  de  San  Luis  had  been  recom- 
mended to  me.     In  the  entrance  from  the  street  I 

17* 


198  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

found  a  French  dandy  selling  fans  and  other  frip- 
pery, in  a  shop  of  very  limited  extent,,  built  up  at 
one  side.  Above  I  was  shown  into  a  very  little 
room,  stuck  away  in  the  centre  of  the  house,  far 
from  street  or  corridor,  and  receiving  a  doubtful  il- 
lumination from  a  small  skylight.  I  was  soon 
in  readiness  to  go  forth,  and  was  not  long  in  de- 
spatching the  business  which  first  claimed  my  at- 
tention. In  company  with  an  exceedingly  intelli- 
gent young  countryman  and  an  old  shipmate,  who 
had  straggled  to  this  out-of-the-way  cruising- 
ground,  and  to  such  a  distance  from  salt  water,  and 
the  sight  of  whose  face  brought  back  a  whole  host 
of  ward-room  associations  and  frolics  ashore,  when 
our  good  ship  had  been  snugly  moored  in  Mahon, 
Naples,  or  Syracuse,  I  now  rambled  forth  to  go  the 
round  of  my  old  haunts. 

My  first  and  not  my  least  agreeable  rencounter 
was  with  my  old  and  worthy  master,  the  Undo 
Don  Diego.  He  was  delighted  to  see  me,  sur- 
rorunded  me  with  both  his  arms,  and  pressed  me 
to  his  bosom,  first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other. 
I  found  him  little  changed ;  his  hair,  indeed,  which 
had  been  jet  black  seven  years  before,  was  now 
slightly  grizzled  at  the  sides ;  but  he  was  still 
round,  plump,  and  sallow,  with  a  complexion  that 
told  of  original  Moorish  blood,  of  exposure  to  a 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  199 

hot  sun,  as  well  as  of  oil,  saffron,  and  paper  cigars. 
His  apparel  was  neither  better  nor  worse  than 
when  I  had  last  seen  him.  I  was  afterward  told, 
however,  that  he  had  risen  considerably  in  the 
world  a  year  or  two  before,  having  been  extensive- 
ly employed  as  a  copyist,  so  as  to  have  constantly 
four  or  five  persons  under  his  orders,  whose  labours 
he  superintended,  paying  them  at  an  inferior  r?ite, 
and  living  by  the  sweat  of  their  quills,  while  he 
played  the  fine  gentleman,  having  dollars  and 
ounces  in  his  astonished  pockets  instead  of  the 
more  familiar  coin  of  cuartos  and  pesetas.  His 
head  was  very  naturally  turned ;  he  became  a 
great  dandy  in  his  dress,  and  a  great  frequenter  of 
billiard  and  monte  tables,  when  his  money  was  often 
transferred  to  the  pockets  of  others,  who  gained  it 
as  idly  as  himself.  And  thus  he  went  on,  neglect- 
ing his  business,  and  finally  quarrelling  with  his 
employer,  being  rendered  independent  by  the 
great  power  of  enduring  hunger  and  want,  com- 
mon to  all  Spaniards,  and  by  the  reflection,  pecu- 
liar to  himself,  that,  he  had  his  three  daily  pista- 
reens  to  fall  back  upon,  the  retiring  pension  of  two 
thirds  of  his  original  salary,  as  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  state,  which  he  became  entitled  to  on  his  eject- 
ment. •      ... 

Accompanied  by  the  augmented  number  of  my 


200  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

friends,  I  .now  directed  my  steps  down  the  street 
of  Montera,  to  the  house  of  my  old  landlord  Don 
Valentine  Todohueso.  The  passage-way  below, 
instead  of  being  occupied  as  a  reading-room,  was 
pow  in  possession  of  an  old  woman,  who,  under 
the  pretext  of  selling  papers  of  toothpicks,  was 
carrying  on  a  far  more  lucrative  traffic.  Reading- 
rooms,  which,  of  course,  had  no  existence  in  days 
when  the  Madrid  Gazette,  published  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  clergy,  was  the  only  periodical 
known  in  Spain,  having  riow  been  everywhere  es- 
tablished for  the  diffusion  of  the  ideas  contained  in 
the  various  publications  which  were  springing  into 
existence,  in  which  political  subjects  and  plans  of 
innovation  were  daily  discussed  by  blundering  and 
unskilful  writers,  who,  of  course,  could  not  know 
much  of  a  subject  with  which  they  were  now  first 
admitted  to  meddle. 

Ringing  at  the  door,  I  was  examined,  as  was 
wont,  through  the  little  trap,  by  the  faithful  Bridget. 
She  then  cautiously  admitted  me.  I  had  the  satis- 
faction of  being  immediately  recognised,  and  re- 
ceived in  a  way  to  reconcile  me  to  the  caution 
with  which  I  was  let  in.  Florencia  was  within, 
and  was  delighted  to  see  me.  She,  too,  was  very 
little  changed;  her  figure  was  still  as  light  and 
graceful  as  ever,  and  her  face  and  features  alto- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  201 

gether  the  same.  The  very  slight  change  which 
her  appearance  had  undetgone  was  not  indeed  so 
strange,  when  I  came  afterward,  one  evening,  to 
calculate  the  term  of  my  absence,  and,  perhaps, 
rather  imprudently,  though  very  naturally,  to  intro- 
duce the  subject  of  ages.  While  I  myself  had 
added,  at  the  lowest  calculation,  seven  years  to  my 
life  in  the  interval,  she  had  only  increased  hers  by 
four ;  being  still  at  the  becoming  and  graceful  age 
of  two-and-twenty.  Some  people  who  had  seen 
her,  and  passed  with  disappointment  from  the  por- 
trait to  the  original,  had  accused  me  of  partiality 
in  the  drawing,  although  I  had  nowhere  said  that 
she  was  beautiful.  I  thought  now  to  scrutinize  her 
face,  and  see  in  what  I  had  been  guilty  of  exag- 
geration. At  this  later  period,  if  she  was  not 
handsome,  neither  was  she  by  any  means  ugly; 
she  was  well-looking,  and  the  effect  of  her  appear- 
ance and  of  her  manner,  as  she  gave  utterance  to 
amiable  sentiments  and  ideas,  at  once  simple  and 
characterized  by  good  sense,  through  the  medium 
of  the  soft  Castilian  which  she  so  gracefully  utter- 
ed, was  such  as  to  render  her  decidedly  attractive. 
Her  good  looks  were  of  the  sort  which  owe  every 
thing  to  an  amiable  expression ;  a  kind  heart  shi- 
ning magically  in  the  countenance,  and  conveying 

x3 


202  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

to  the  beholder  the  reflection  of  something  yet 
more  beautiful  within. 

Don  Valentine,  who  had  been  collecting  news 
in  the  Gate  of  the  Sun,  now  so  much  more  abun- 
dant than  in  former  times,  soon  after  returned. 
He  was  wholly  unchanged ;  the  same  tall,  gaunt, 
bony,  skin-dried,  colourless  individual,  I  had  ever 
known  him.  Even  death  itself,  which  could  not 
render  him  more  hideous,  would  have  had  no 
power  to  change  him.  The  same  brown  capa,  too, 
covered  his  ungracious  form ;  when  he  unrolled  it, 
however,  it  discovered  below,  instead  of  the  little 
coat  whose  tails  economy  had  reduced  to  the  short- 
est dimensions  that  decency  admitted,  a  black 
frock  of  more  fashionable  appearance.  When  I 
complimented  him  on  his  dandyism,,  he  told  me, 
as  I  was  glad  to  hear,  that  though  the  lottery  still 
frowned  upon  him,  his  affairs  were  in  a  better  con- 
dition, and  that  his  family  was  much  more  com- 
fortable. He  was  still  as  inveterate  a  hunter  as 
ever,  and  as  thorough  a  patriot ;  as  an  evidence  of 
which  he  showed  me  a  belt,  with  a  box  containing 
twelve  cartridges,  which  he  had  prepared  for  the 
day  on  which  the  curates  and  friars  were  to  re- 
ceive the  reward  of  their  iniquities.  He  had  al' 
ready  been  twice  in  the  street  with  his  gun  hidden 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  203 

under  his  cloak,  but  the  time  for  retribution  had 
not  yet  arrived, 

I  did  not  forget  to  inquire  after  my  old  friend, 
the  dog  Pito,  the  worthy  representative  of  the  Brit- 
ish statesman.  Returning  one  hot  day,  with  his- 
tongue  rather  too  far  out,  along  the  street  of  Alca- 
la,  he  had  been  cruelly  put  to  death  under  a  false 
accusation  of  insanity.  As  for  Jessamine,  the. 
favourite  cat  of  Florencia,.  he  had  exhibited  a  new 
instance  of  feline  ingratitude ;  and,  after  years  of 
kindness  and  friendship,  apparently  as  sincere  on 
his  part  as  it  really  was  on  that  of  his  mistress,  he 
one  night  made  a  caterwauling  excursion  on  the 
top  of  the  house,  from  which  he  never  returned, 
finding  more  comfortable  quarters  elsewhere.  Hav- 
ing thus  made  myself  current  of  all  the  domestic 
affairs,  taken  a  satisfactory  glance  at  all  the  various 
objects,  chairs,  tables,  and  pictures,  connected  with 
my  former  residence,  and  enjoyed,  in  no  measured 
degree,  the  pleasure  of  finding  myself  remembered 
and  valued  at  such  a  distance  of  time,  and  after  so 
many  and  such  various  wanderings,  I  took  a  kind 
leave  of  all,  with  the  promise  of  being  a  frequent 
visiter;-  for,  to  my  own  regret,  as  much  as  theirs, 
my  old  apartment  was  now  occupied.    ' 

It  was  the  hour  of  the  daily  promenade  as  we 
left  the  house  of  Don  Valentine,  and  my  friends 


204  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

proposed  that  we  should  join  it;  I  of  course  asked 
nothing  better,  and  we  forthwith  descended  by  the 
street  of  Alcala.  Accustomed  as  I  was  to  the 
attractions  of  that  familiar  and  beautiful  feature  in 
Spanish  manners  in  either  continent,  and  wherever 
Spaniards  are  found,  I  mean  the  daily  paseo,  and 
having,  moreover,  carried  away  with  me  a  very 
distinct  recollection  of  what  I  had  so  often  beheld 
upon  the  Prado  of  Madrid,  I  was  still  struck  with 
the  beauty  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  scene.  In  the 
part  of  the  Prado  called  the  Saloon,  the  bulk  of  the 
company  was  assembled,  walking  up  and  down, 
acquaintances  accosting  each  other,  passing  from 
group  to  group- to  inquire  after  the  health  of  ladies, 
and  offer  those  compliments  that  form  the  subject 
of  an  ordinary  visit.  The  dresses  of  the  men  were 
varied,  in  form  and  colour,  according  to  the  caprice 
of  each,  consisting  of  gay  uniforms,  frock  coats,  or 
ample  cloaks  lined  with  red  velvet,  while  those  of 
the  women  were  more  uniform ;  a  few  wearing 
French  bonnets,  in  which  they  seemed  as  little  at 
home  as  foreigners  in  the  mantilla,  but  the  greater 
number  adhering  to  the  national  costume,  so  admi- 
rably adapted  to  exhibit  favourably  the  beauty  and 
elegance  of  their  forms,  as  they  glided  onwards 
with  an  easy  and  bewitching  grace  and  an  alluring 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  205 

harmony  of  movement,  of  which  nothing  that  can 
be  seen  out  of  Spain  can  possibly  convey  an  idea. 
While  the  walkers  were  thus  joyously  employed, 
carriages  of  every  description,  distinguished  either 
by  the  modern  elegance  of  their  forms,  or  for  their 
quaint  and  venerable  antiquity,  passed  with  slow 
and  measured  regularity  in  opposite  currents  on 
either  side  of  the  space  appropriated  to  them,  the 
ladies  within  beckoning  gracefully  with  their  fans, 
accompanied  by  a  winning  smile,  to  their  friends 
in  the  opposite  hne  of  carriages,  or  mixed  .in.  the' 
gayer  assembly  of  pedestrians.   While  in  the  space 
between  the  double  row  of  coaches,  kept  vacant 
by  a  picket  of  glittering  cuirassiers  posted  as  a 
guard  of  honour  at  either  end,  the  young  nobles 
exhibited  their  horsemanship  on  beautiful  barbs, 
with  manes  neatly  plaited  on  either  side  with  gay 
ribands,  and  their  tails  flowing  nearly  to  the  ground. 
The  brilliancy  of  the   spectacle  was  greatly  in- 
creasedy  soon  after  our  arrival,  by  the  accession 
of  one  of  the  royal  infantes  and  his,  wife;  in  a  rich 
barouche,  drawn  by  iix  beautiful  bays,  driven  by 
elegantly-dressed  jockeys,  who  drove  repeatedly  up 
and  down  the  space  reserved  for.  horsemen  in  the 
centre,  receiving  and  returning  the  salutations  of 
the  company. 

The  weather  was  singularly  beautiful,  and  the 

18 


206  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

sky  unclouded  and  transparent,  increasing  the  ef- 
fect of  a  spectacle  in  itself  full  of  joy  and  anima- 
tion. Indeed,  the  perpetual  movement,  the  rapid 
exchange  of  courtesies  and  quickly-uttered  com- 
pliments among  the  passing  groups,  the  smiles 
of  approbation  or  of  budding  tenderness,  and  the 
warmer  glances  of  love,  render  this  scene  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  that  can  be  witnessed.  It  is  a  gay 
•  feast,  from  which  there  is  no  exclusion — a  mag- 
nificent entertainment,  at  which  nature  furnishes 
the  gladdening  influence  of  an  unobstructed  sun, 
and  kindly  deigns  to  assist ;  and  where  every  one, 
however  hunable,.  may  go  without  waiting  for  an 
invitation. 

It  was  easy,  thus  employed,  to  loiter  away  one's 
time  until  it  became  necessary  to  prepare  for  din- 
ner.. After  a  very  satisfactory  meal  in  most  agree- 
able company,  it  was  agreed  that  we  should  pass 
the  interval  until  midnight,  the  hour  for  the  com- 
mencement of  a  masquerade-ball,  for  which  we 
had  tickets,  at  one  of  the  theatres ;  so  away  we 
went  to  the  Cruz.  The  play  was  the  Mogigata 
of  Moratin,  a  bad  travesty  of  the  Tartuffe,  in 
which  a  female  hypocrite,  pretending  to  a  great 
deal  of  devotion,  and  sighing  after  the  retirement 
of  a  monastic  life,  is  all  the  while  plotting  the 
means  of  getting  herself  a  husband,  and  securing 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  207 

wherewithal  to  make  both  herself  and  him  com- 
fortable. Instead  of  the  husband  confiding  in  the 
purity  of  the  man  of  God,  there  is  a  father  who 
will  beheve  nothing  to  the  disadvantage  of  his 
saint-like  daughter.  The  plot  waB  wanting  in  in- 
genuity, and  the  scenes  were  any  thing  but  dra- 
matic ;  yet  the  piece  was  enthusiastically  received, 
because  it  furnished  the  people  of  Madrid  with  a 
privilege  which  was  wholly  new  to  them,  that  of 
ridiculing  the  impure  motives  with  which  people 
devote  themselves  to  religious  life-  in  Spain,  and 
the  absurd  folly  of  becoming  a  nun.  .  • 

Jt  is  impossible  to  describe  with  what  a  feeling 
(Jf  relief  and  unmixed  pleasure,  after  listening  to  a 
long,  stupid  old  tragedy,  of  the  cloak  and  sword,  or 
a  play  translated  from  the  French,  and  absurdly 
travestied  in  the  acting,  one  hears  the  first  rattle 
of  the  Castanet  behind  the  scenes,  as  the  niajo  and 
the  maja,  impatient  to  begin  their  delightful  task, 
announce  to  you  their  readiness  to  come  forth.     A 
smile  of  joyful  anticipation  spreads  at  once  from 
pit  to  gallery,  and  the  old  worthies  with  cocked 
hats,  laced  cuffs,  and  gold-headed  canes,  who  come 
habitually  to  the  theatre  with  no  other  object  than 
to  doze  away  their  time  and  escape  from  their  ex- 
istence, sit  up  straight  in  their  lunetas,  rub  their 
eyes,  and  now  first  seem  to  be  thoroughly  awake. 


208  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

The  Spanish  dances  are  certainly  most  admirable, 
yet  I  never  liked  them  so  little  as  on  this  visit  to 
Madrid.     I  found  the  style  wholly  changed;  the 
delightful  national  airs,  so  full  of  feeling  and  po- 
etry, replaced  by  foreign  ones,  which  had  no  adap- 
tation for  them,  or  else  the  music  of  the  bolero  and 
the  cachucha  were  so  perverted  as  to  be  no  longer 
recognisable.  When,  the  dancing  commenced  there 
was  something  of  the  original  Spanish  grace  which 
in   past   times  had  appeared   to  me   so  different 
from  any  thing  I  had  before  seen,  and  so  irresisti- 
bly captivating.    But,  instead  of  the  display  of  easy 
elegance  in  which  the  dances  of  the  country  for- 
merly consisted,  they  were  now  endeavouring  to 
ingraft  on  them  pirouettes,  pigeon-wings,  and  feats 
of  agility,  wholly  unsuited  to  the  easy  style  and 
voluptuous  languor  which  are  their  peculiar  char- 
acteristic.  I  noticed,  indeed,  after  a  &hort  residence 
in  Madrid,  that  the  people  were  rapidly  undergoing 
the  process  of  being  Frenchified.     The  printshops, 
in  which  French   fashions  are   exhibited,   attract 
admiring   crowds ;    a   few   women    have    already 
ventured  to  the  audacious  extreme  of  adopting  the 
bonnet  on  the  Prado  instead  of  the  mantilla,  and 
this  without  being  hissed ;  and  some  of  the  other 
sex  have  even  reached  the  absurdity  of  substituting 


SPAIN  REVISITED,  209 

a  Stiff  ungainly  surtout  for  the  toga-like  and  con- 
venient capa. 

After  the  dance  we  had  a  delightful  farce,  called 
"  The  Enraged  Chestnut  Women."  Two  rival  sel- 
leirs  of  chestnuts  are  discovered  roasting  their  wares 
at  the  opposite  corners  of  a  street,  and  deafening 
all  who  pass  by  their  shrill  cries  of  "  calientes  y 
gordas^  They  quarrel  about  a  lover,  whom  they 
equally  claim ;  are  accused,  by  an  old  fellow  who 
lives  near,  of  being  common  scolds ;  the  alguazils  are 
introduced  to  protect  the  peace  j  and,  after  various 
adventures,  in  which  watermen,  porters,  and-  other 
characters,  such  as  are  daily  seen  iii  the  streets  of 
Madrid,  are  introduced,  the  play,  which  does  not 
last  more  than  an  hour,  finishes  with  a  ball  in  the 
house  of  the  widowed  wife' of  a  carpenter,  who  is 
recently  dead,  leaving  his  relict  wherewithal  to 
amuse  herself.  Here  the  parties  dance  boleros  to 
music  furnished  by  two  or  three  guitar-players, 
who  sing  seguidillas,  and  are  the  same  people  who 
are  employed  in  the  real  frolics  of  the  manolas. 
The  whole  scene  was  just  such^  indeed,  as  one 
might  see  any  day  among  the  lower  classes  of 
Madrid,  and  was  not  so  much  a  copy  of  manners 
as  the  very  reality. 

It  is  a  verv  obvious  remark  one  is  led  to  make 
in  Spain,  that  the  style  of  acting  in  serious  pieces 


1& 


♦ 


210  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

and  in  genteel  comedy,  is  detestable.  This  is 
owing  to  the  exclusion  of  actors  from  all  decent 
society  there,  and  the  utter  absence  of  all  oppor- 
tunity of  copying  from  real  life  in  its  more  polished 
forms,  and  not  to  any  real  want  of  histrionic  talent. 
The  objection  does  not  hold  when  they  come  to 
exhibit  the  familiar  scenes  of  low  life.  In  the 
.sainetes  they  do  nothing  more  than  act  over  again 
before  the  public  what  they  are  daily  and  habitual- 
ly doing  in  the  ordinary  course  of  their  existence : 
■repealing,  for  the  public  amusement,  the  practical 
jokes  in  use  among  them,  and  seasoning  their  con- 
versation with  the  pithy  proverbs  and  quaint  jests 
which  the  popular  language  so  abundantly  furnish- 
es. The  truth  and  liveliness  of  the  picture  never 
fail  to  dehght  the  audience,  and  often  convulse 
them  vvith  laughter. 

Between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  we  proceed- 
ed to  the  new  building  of  Santa  Catalina,  where 
the  ball  was  \o  take  place.  These  balls  were  got 
up.  by  subscription,  and  pretended  to  some  little 
exclusiveness ;  but  any  person  could  get  a  ticket 
who.  could  pay  the  price  of  two  dollars,  which 
was  sufficient,  in'a  country  where  people  are  so 
generally  poor,  to  secure  a  tolerably  select  as- 
sembly. There  was  one  rather  neat  room,  having 
the  interior  area  enclosed  by  columns,  appropriated 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  211 

to  dancing.     The  band  was  stationed  at  one  end, 
and  the  figure  of  the  presiding  goddess,  designated 
by  a  scroll  which  she  held  forth,  whether  it  was  a 
quadrille,  a  waltz,  a  gallop,  or  a  mazourka,  which 
was  next  to  exercise  the  saltatory  energies  of  hei 
votaries.     A  more  spacious  saloon  adjoining  was 
reserved  for  promenading,  and  for  the  restoration 
of  those  who  had  fatigued  themselves  in  the  press 
of  the  dancing  apartment.     Farther  on  was  a  mis- 
erable shed,  temporarily  erected  as  a  restaurant. 
When  we  first  entered  the  rooms,  we  found  very 
few  people  as  yet  assembled ;  but  after  midnight 
the  fashionables  began  to  make  their  appearance, 
and  very  soon  after  the  two  rooms  had  nearly  as 
many  inmates  as  they  could  contam.     The  com- 
pany was  composed  of  all  the  rank  and  fashion  of 
the  capital:    it  is  not  necessary  to  complete  the 
cant  phrase  in  use  elsewhere  by  adding  the  word 
wealth,  for  in  Madrid  there  is  no  class  of  rich  in- 
dependent of  the  aristocracy,  although,  there  may 
be  a  few  wealthy  individuals  connected  with  the 
farming  of  the  revenues. 

As  the  place  filled  up,  the  scene  became  a  very 
briUiant  one.  There  were  all  the  varieties  of 
dresses  that  one  sees  on  such  an  occasion ;  but  by 
far  the  greater  number  of  masks  were  clad  in  the 
costumes  of  the  Peninsula.     The  men  were,  in 


212  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

many  instances,  dressed  as  Andalusian  majos,  and 
the  women  as  Valencianas,  or  Asturian  nurses. 
The  music  was  very  beautiful,  although  not  Span- 
ish ;  the  people  of  Madrid,  in  their  love  for  change, 
having  given  up  their  own  slow  and  harmonious 
waltzes,  and  their  still  more  delightful  country- 
dances.  Still  the  younger  part  of  the  assembly 
danced  with  true  Spanish  enthusiasm,  re-enforced 
by- the  idea  that  they  were  bringing  up  the  arrears 
of  what  they  had  lost  during  the  long  reign  of  des- 
potism. The  movements  of  the  women  were  so 
very  graceful,  their  figures  so  neat  and  well  form- 
ed, and  their  feet  so  small  and  pretty,  that  it  was 
quite  delightful  to  look  at  them.  There  were,  how- 
ever, many  exceptions  to  the  beauty  of  the  women 
among  the  older  ones,  who  werei  very  generally  fat, 
an  excess  of  which  they  endeavoured  to  diminish 
the  effect  by  appearing  as  Asturian  nurses,  in 
which  character  redundancy  might  seem  appro- 
priate. There  were  perhaps  as  many  arrobas  of 
female  weight  as  of  male.  There  seemed  to  have 
been  an  infusion  of  the  substance  of  the  one  sex 
into  the  other ;  for  while  the  women  were  in  many 
instances  immensely  stout,  the  men  were  often, 
on  the  contrary,  thin,  diminutive,  and  smoke-dried. 
This  was  particularly  noticeable  in  many  members 
of  the  higher  nobility,  among  whom  a  systematic 


SPAIN   REVI&ITED.  213 

series  of  intermarriages  has  been  attended  by  a 
physical  depreciation,  which  in  many  instances  is 
in  the  inverse  ratio  of  the  accumulation  of  their, 
titles  and  estates, 

"  Me  conoces  /"'  in  a  shrill,  disguised  voice,  was 
the  commonest  expression  that  reached  one's  ears. 
There  was,  of  course,  a  vast  deal  of  teasing,  puz- 
zling, and  not  a  little  intrigue,  if  one  might  judge 
at  all  from  the  earnest  conversation  of  occasional 
pairs,  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  company,  in  a 
remote  corner,  and  apparently  unconscious  of  all 
that  was  passing  around  them,  and  secure  of  the 
secret  of  each  other's  dress  being  known  only  to 
themselves.  After  an  hour  or  two,  most  of  the  com^ 
pany  began  to  remove  their  masks,  the  example 
being  set  by  those  who  could  best  afford  it,  namely, 
who  were  youngest  and  most  beautiful.  Then  took 
place  a  variety  of  explanations  among  such  as  had 
been  deceived,  and  the  hilarity  of  the  party  was 
not  a  little  increased.  Many,  however,  still  retain- 
ed their  masks,  not  having  yet  played  out  their 
game ;  or,  perhaps,  having  made  a  conquest  by  the 
aid  of  a  good  shape  and  a  neat  ankle,  and  enjoyed 
the  long-unaccustomed  sound  of  passionate  proleS' 
tations,  they  were  unwilling,  for  reasons  best  known 
to  themselves,  to  break  the  spell  which  they  had 
evoked,  •  '    •      • 


214  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

And  now,  weary  with  dancing,  promenading,  and 
flirtation,  the  assembly,  split  into  little  groups,  be- 
gan to  take  the  road  to  the  supper-room  to  repair 
their  exhausted  energies  by  timely  refection.    This 
was  a  temporary  shed  of  great  extent,  but  put  up 
in  a  very  slovenly  manner.     The  cold  air  entered 
freely  on  all  sides,  which  made  a  dangerous  transi- 
tion from  the  heat  and  violent  exercise  of  the  ball- 
room.    The  floor  was  covered  with  a  straw  mat, 
which  was  tracked  Vvith  mud,  and  plentifully  strewn 
With  orange-skins,  nicely-picked  bones,  and  frag- 
ments of  cigars.     The  clouds  of  smoke  sent  up  by 
the  amateurs  of  tobacco  mingled  with  the  gas  from 
the  lamps,  and,  having  no  outlet,  both  hung,  in  a 
sort  of  murky  London  atmosphere,  over  the  scene. 
A  long  row  of  little  tables  on  either  side  was  sur- 
rounded by  hungry  groups,  who  were  partaking, 
with  evident  gusto,  of  such  greasy  stews  and  over- 
kept  meats  as  a  Madrid  refectory — the  pla'ce  where, 
in  the  whole  world,  the  gastronomy  is  the  most 
infamous — affords.     Corks  were  now  drawn  with 
clanging  report,  and  the  wine   circulated  freely; 
and,  c^s  the-  blood  began  to  flow  freer,  the  prevailing 
sentiment  asserted  itself,  and  the  tender  appella- 
tions of  amiga  and  guerida  were  borne  to  other 
ears  than  those  for  which  only  they  were  intended. 
I  fancied  that  this  was  to  crown  the  entertain- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  215 

ment,  but  was   soon  undeceived  by  seeing  the 
dancers  go  to  work  again  with  redoubled  energy. 
The  fact  is,  they  were  to  dance  until  dawn,  and, 
as  it  was  to  usher  in  a  feast-day,  go  to  the  early 
mass,  so  as  to  be  under  no  obligations  of  early 
rising,  but  thus  go  to  rest  without  the  dread  of  in- 
terruption, and  with  a  soul  duly  provided  with  its- 
proper  allowance  of  spiritual  comfort.     When  L 
was  told  this,  and  remembered  the  very  fatal  rav- 
ages of  pulmonary  disease  in  Madrid  at  this  season, 
in  connexion  with  the  universal  chill  that  reigns 
within  a  Spanish  church,  I  could  not  help  fearing 
that,  between  their  religion  and  their  amusements, 
some  few  of  the  people  thus  thoughtlessly  capering 
would  be  likely  to  dance  out  of  the  world  as  rapidly 
as  I  had  seen  them  racing  in  the  gallopade.     A» 
for  myself,  I  was  long  since  heartily  tired,  having 
fared  badly  for  sleep  during  the  last  two  or  three 
weeks,  and  was  wearing  so  long  and  so  melancholy 
a  face,  that  it  quite  frightened  me  as  I  caught  sight 
of  it  in  passing  a  mirror.     It  seemed  to  produce  a 
corresponding  effect  on  the  gay  maskers  whom  I 
accosted.     At  length  one,  who  seemed  to  be  also 
the  rejected  of  her  sex,  consented  to  be  my  part- 
ner, and  afterward  clung  so  tightly  to  my  arm, 
that  I  found  it  equally  difficult  to  get  rid  of  her 
decently. 


216  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

Having  at  length  succeeded  in  persuading  an 
obliging  friend  to  ask  her  to  dance,  I  made  my 
escape,  rolled  myself  in  my  cloak,  and  went  forth 
into  the  open  street,  in  which,  beyond  the  long 
row  of  carriages,  with  their  dozing  coachmen,  that 
were  clustered  about  the  door,  there  was  not  a  soul 
to  be  seen.  The  air  was  still  and  pleasantly  cool, 
and  the  sky  clear  and  unspotted,  except  by  a  few 
stars  of  greater  magnitude,  and  by  the  full  moon 
shining  out  with  almost  noonday  splendour.  The 
transition  from  the  hot  impure  air  to  the  freshness 
without,  from  the  murky  illumination  of  the  lamps 
to  the  pensive  light  of  the  moon,  from  the  thick 
press  of  such  a  crowd  to  the  solitude  of  the  desert- 
ed streets,  from  the  restraints  of  observation  to  a 
recovered  sense  of  liberty^  and,  finally,  from  the 
general  uproar  caused  by  the  unmeaning  clatter  of 
so  many  tongues  to  the  quiet  eloquence  of  one's 
own  thoughts,  was  indeed  delightful.   . 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  217 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

MADRID. 

Spanish  Soldiery — Morning  Parade — View  from  the  Palace — Gate 
of   Toledo — A  Review — Observatory — View — Royal  Museum — 
■  Velasquez  and  Murillo — Prado — Don  Diego — Search  for  Lodgings 
— Don  Diego  at  Dinner — Florencia — Thoughts  on  Emigration. 

I  w^AS  breakfasting  the  morning  after  my  arrival 
in  the  coffee-room  of  my  inn,  when  the  sound  of 
martial  music  attracted .  irie  to  the  balcony ;  a  de- 
tachment of  the  grenadiers  of  the  Royal  Guard  was 
passing  below,  preceded  by  their  sappers,  drums, 
music,  and  all  the  pomp  of  the  regiment,  on, their 
way  to  relieve  guard  at  the  royal  palace.  This,  in 
former  times/ had  been, my  favourite  spectacle;  so 
I  hastened  into  the  sti^eet,  got  beside  the.  band,  and 
joined  the  escort  of  honour,  consisting  of  idlers  and 
beggars  in  cloaks,  tliat  was  keeping  it  company. 
There  is  something  eminently  martial  and  inspiring 
in  the  spectacle  of  a  Spanish  regiment  thoroughly 
equipped,  as  are  those  of  the  Royal  Guard.  An 
English  regiment  is  better  drilled,  more  nicely 
brushed,  and  moves  with  more  perfect  regularity; 
but  then  one  misses  that  proud  bearing  and  native 

military  enthusiasm  with  which   the  Spaniard  is 
VOL.  I. — K  19 


218  SRAIN    REVISITED. 

impelled.  There  is  all  the  difference  that  one 
would  discover  between  a  vehicle  carried  forward 
with  the  precision  and  regularity  of  a  steam-engine, 
and  another  receiving  its  impulse  from  the  sponta- 
neous and  ardent  movements  of  spirited  horses. 
The  French  soldiers,  though  more  like  the  Span- 
iards, are  still  very  different.  They  have  the  same 
air  of  natural  ardour,  but  seem  more  light,  excita- 
ble, and  frivolous,  while  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
Spaniards  is  of  a  more  serious  and  graver  species; 
and  the  military  music  of  the  different  nations 
exhibits  the  same  distinctions  as  their  appearance. 
The  English  is  cold,  and  without  feeling  Or  poetry; 
the  French  is  lively  and  inspiring ;  while  the  Span- 
ish is  of  a  more  serious  -description,  and  more 
suited  to  work  upon  the  feelings  and  beget  a  deep 
feeling  of  enthusiasm.  I -would  not  pretend  to 
instance  these  facts  as  furnishing  any  measure  of 
the  military  prowess  of  these  different  countries, 
which -depends  on  other  causes  than  the  natural 
adaptation  of  their  population  for  a  warlike  life  ;  but 
I  acta  ^ure  that  no  one  can  look  upon  the  Spanish 
soldier  without  being  convinced,  as  the  past  his- 
tory of  the  country  will  easily  prove,  that  he  is 
eminently  fitted  for  war.      ■   ' 

In  the  Plaza  Mayor  the  grenadiers  encountered 
detachments   from  the  provincials   of  the    Royal 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  219 

Guard,  from  the  cavalry  of  the    Carbiniers,  and 
from  the  horse  artillery,  each  with  its  fine  band  of 
music.     Here  the  colonel  of  the  grenadiers  head- 
ed his  corps,  and  took  command  of  the  whole  ;  the 
music  sounded,  and  they  commenced  entering  the 
archway  which  gives  admission  to  the  great  quad- 
rangle in  front  of  the   palace,  where  the  detach- 
ments which  were  to  go  off  duty  were  drawn  up 
to  receive  them  :  the  cavalry  on  one  side,  the  in- 
fantry on  the  other,  and  the  artillery  in  the  centre. 
As  the  relieving  guard  approached,  the  drums  beat 
and  the  trumpets  sounded,  until  at  length  the  dif- 
ferent detachments  were  drawn  up   beside  those 
which  they  were  to  relieve.     At  the  stroke  of  the 
palace  clock  the  senior  colonel  took  command  of 
the  entire  little  army.     The  noncommissioned  offi- 
cers detached  themselves  to  relieve  the   guards  ; 
and  small  bodies  of  foot-soldiers,  or  of  horsemen, 
traversed  the  quadrangle  from   post  to    post,  the 
horses  moving  with  the  same  practised  exactness 
as  the  men ;  they  were  reined  back  into  the  niches 
on  either  side  of  the  palace  gate,  where  they  be- 
came as  motionless  as  the  statues  of  the  old  Span- 
ish  kings,  thc^t    frowned    in    stone   around  them. 
Meantime  the  music  sent  forth  the  most  enchant- 
ing strains ;    the   inferior  officers    might  be    seen 
making    their  reports  to  their    seniors,  who  then 

K  2 


220  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

rode  into  the  centre  to  report  in  turn  to  the  com- 
mander. The  proud  movements  of  the  noble  war- 
horseS,  with  flowing-  manes  and  wholly  unmutila- 
ted,  seeming  to  partake  of  the  rider's  self-satisfac- 
tion as  they  pranced  up  to  the  commander,  the  flags 
waving,  the  swords  gracefully  brandished  in  the 
military  salute,  and  the  dazzling  brilliancy  which  a 
bright  Castilian  sun  shed  upon  this  scene,  which  a 
vast  crowd  contemplated,  and  which  the  queen  her- 
self looked  down  upon,  rendered  it  altogether  most 
magnificent.  When  the  relieved  guard  had  march- 
ed off  with  their  sappers  and  music,  and  those  who 
remained  had  stacked  their  arms  and  betaken  them- 
selves to  their  guardhouse,  I  turned  in  search  of 
other  objects  of  interest. 

The  Palace  of  Madrid  stands  on  the  extremity 
of  a  "Very  high  bank,  overlooking  the  Manzanares, 
and  the  terrace  of  the  esplanade  in  front  of  it 
commands  a  beautiful  view  of  the  course  of  the 
stream,  of  the  gardens  that  skirt  its  shores,  of  the 
bridges  that  traverse  it,  of  the'walk  of  the  Florida, 
and,  immediately  opposite,  of  a  country  palace  of  the 
kings.  The  immediate  banks  were  whitened  by 
the  linen  spread  there  to  dry,  while  hundreds  of 
laundresses  were  engaged  in  washing  in  the  stream'. 
There  were"  the  usual  quantities  of  soldiers  collect- 
ed, to  gossip  with  them  ;  though  this  privilege  was 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  221 

taken  from  them  a  very  few  days  after,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  quarrel  which  occurred  at  this  place 
between  some  yoimg  soldiers  belonging  to  the 
regiment  of  the  ^Princess,  and  others  of  another 
corps,  who  had  come  to  the  stream  with  the  com- 
mon and  very  natural  object  of  amusing  themselves 
vvith  the  washerv^omen ;  but  who,  changing  the 
pacific  character  of  the  rendezvous,  and  passing 
some  unpalatable  words,  came  at  length  to  blows, 
and  ended  by  drawing  their  swords  and  wounding, 
more  or  less  badly,  sixteen  of  their  number,  before 
they  were  separated.      •  ■.  ' 

•'Desiring  to  view  this  scene  nearer,  I  descended 
the  street  of  Segovia,  and  went  out  of  .the  city  by 
the  gate  of  that  name.  One  or  two  churchmen 
walking  along  the  walls,  and  a  few  lazy  people 
sunning  themselves  on  the  ground,  alone  relieved 
the  solitude  of  my  walk,'  as  I  directed  my  steps 
towards  the  gate  of  Toledo.  When  I  approached 
it,  however,  the  scene'  becarne  very  different ;  this 
being  one  of  the  most  important  outlets  of  Madrid. 
There  was  an  immense  collection  of  people  about 
it,  preparing  to  enter  with  laden  mules  and  asses, 
and  a  number  of  swineherds,  clad  in  skins,  here 
held  a  fair,  selling  their  greasy  and  grunting  crew 
upon  the  footing  of  a  bonded  article,  which  had  as 

yet  paid  the  king  no  duly.     Many  miserable  people 

19* 


222  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

came  forth  to  parade  their  rags  and  misery,  or 
stretch  themselves  in  the  sun  beside  the  walls, 
casting  longing  glances  at  these  huge  walking 
elements  of  bacon  and  sausages.  As  I  came  up, 
three  well-mounted  whiskerandos  rode  out  and 
took  the  road  to  Toledo;  their  horses'  tails  were 
neatly  queued  up,  and  they  had  altogether  a  very 
janty,  dare-devil  air.  Perhaps  they  were  robbers, 
going  to  resume  their  muskets  in  the  nearest  vil- 
lage, and  put  themselves  at  once  on  the  war  estab- 
lishment.   '         ■.    •      .    ' 

The  gate  of  Toledo  is  of  modern  construction, 
and  is  a  very  noble  object.  It  has  a  single  central 
arch  for  carriages  and  horsemen,  and  a  square  gate 
on  either  side  for  the  currents  of  foot-passengers, 
and  is  tastefully  adorned  with  columns  and  pilasters, 
and  surmounted  with  a  sculptured  group  represent- 
ing Spain  receiving  the  tribute  of  the  provinces. 
An  inscription  states  how,  on  the  restoration  of  Fer- 
dinand the  Desired,  the  Council  of  Madrid  raised 
and  dedicated  tp  him  this  rnonument  of. fidelity,  of 
triumph,  and  gratulation.  During  the  late  constitu- 
tion, in  throwing  the  arch,  some  pieces  of  the  coin 
of  the  time  were  placed  in  it,  bearing  the  usual  in- 
scription, "  Ferdinand,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  and 
the  Constitution,  King  of  Spain."  It  was  a  ques- 
tion, on  the   downfall   of  the   system  so  called. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  223 

whether  the  arch  should  be   demolished  ;  but  an 
expedient  was  devised,  to  remove  and  replace  the 
infamous  mementoes  in  an  easier  way.    Part  of  the 
keystone  has  been  carefully  cut  out,  the  money 
exchanged,  and  another  piece  of  stone  nicely  intro- 
duced.    What  a  strange  infatuation  as  to  the  dura- 
tion of  absolutism  in  Spain  ;  and  what  a  poor  effort 
to  commend  itself  to  the  good-will  of  future  ages  ! 
The  street  of  Toledo,  into  which  I  now  entered, 
is  one  of  the  most  animated  and  noisy  in  Madrid. 
It  was  thronged  with  country  people,  entering  or 
departing*  while  on  either  side,  the  whole  way  to 
the  Place  of  Barley,  the  buildings  were  either  de- 
voted, to  the  reception  of  travellers,  under  the  invo- 
cattion  of  Saint  Isidro  the  Labourer,  or  some  other 
favourite,  or  else  to  their  accommodation,  in  the 
shape  of  shops  for  the  sale  of  gay  dresses,  in  the 
Andalusian  or  inanolo  fashion ;  hats  studded  with 
beads,  bread,  oranges,  and  all  sorts  of  harness,  and 
whatever  relates  to  the  caparisoning  of  mule,s  or 
horses,  the  goods  being  hung  at  the  door,  and  serv- 
ing for  their  own  ann9unGement,  without  the  aid 
of  a  sign  ;    while  among  the  groups    of  country 
people,  collected .  in  the    portals  of  the  posadas, 
young  fellows  having  bundles  of  stout  rods,  called 
varus,  so  necessary  for  the  comfortable  manage- 
ment of  Spanish  mules,  offered  them  to  such  trav- 


224  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

ellers  as  were  about  to  set  out,  at  the  modest  price 
of  a  couple  of  quarters. 

'  By  the  time  I  had  passed  the  Place  of  Barley, 
the  Church  of  San  Isidro,  and  the  Great  Square, 
which  led  me  at  its  outlet  into  the  Calle  Mayor, 
I  found  myself  in  contact  with  an  entire  regiment 
of  cuirassiers,  who,  it  seemed  on  inquiry,  were 
going  to  a  grand  review  of  the  Royal  Guard,  at  the 
Gate  of  Atocha.  I  most  unhesitatingly  placed 
myself  under  their  CQnVoy.  One  of  the  great  ad- 
vantages of  Madrid  is,  that,  while  it  possesses  all 
the  attractions  of  a  splendid  court,  it  is  not  of  the 
disproportioned  size  of  those  overgrown  commer- 
cial  capitals  where  each  quarter  is  a  Babel  in  itself, 
and  where,  to  pass  from  one  point  to  another,  is 
like  undertaking  a  journey.  In  Madrid  all  places 
are  at  hand  ;  and  from  the  Gate  of  the  Sun,  a  walk 
of  ten  minutes  will  carry  you  at  once  to  any  point 
within  the  walls. 

On  reaching  the  Gate  of  Atocha,  th&  day  was 
so  bj[?iiiiant,  that  I  was  tenipted  to  enjoy  the  spec- 
tacle from  the  commanding  elevation  of  the  neigh- 
bouring *  observatory,  in  the  Garden  of  the  Retire. 
This  IS  one  of  those  unfinished  specimens  of  the 
spirit  of  improvement  so  abundant  about  Madrid, 
where,  especially  during  the  reign  of  Ferdinand, 
so  many  things  were  begun,  arid  so  few  completed. 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  225 

There  is  on  the  immediate  summit  a  very  pretty 
circular  dome,  standing  on  hght  columns ;  under 
the  shade  of  this  graceful  toy  one  may,  with  per- 
fect comfort,  enjoy  the  finest  view  of  Madrid  that 
can  be  commanded  from  any  point.     The  pure  at- 
mosphere of  Castile  had  never  been  purer- than  on 
this  occasion ;  the  remotest  objects  seemed  almost 
within  reach  of  one's  hand ;  on  every  route  by  which 
the  metropolis  is  approached,  men  and  animals  were 
discerned  with  a  minute  distinctness  which,  to  one 
lately  transferred  from  the  gloomy  atmosphere  of  a 
higher    latitude   and   inferior    elevation  above  the 
sea,  was  most  strange  and  perplexing.    The  Sierra 
of  Guadarrama,  blended  as  it  was  with  the  domes 
and  towers  of  so  many  temples,  seemed,  like  them, 
but  a  step  off;   and  its  deep  covering    of  snows 
descending  far  down  the  side,  while  it  wounded 
the  eye  by  the  power  with  which  it  reflected  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  yet  conveyed  the  idea  of  a  cool- 
ness which,  though  in  the  depth  of  winter,  was  by 
no  means  unpleasant.  .  The  fields  about  Madrid, 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  scan  them,  were  of  one 
uniform   green,  from  the  wheat  with  which  they 
were  planted.     No  dividing  hedges,  no  trees,  no 
villas,  were  anywhere  within  reach  of  the  sight,  to 
relieve  it  from  the  effect  of  the  monotony.     In  an 
occasional  harranco,ox  sudden  hollow  in  the  plain, 

K  3 


226  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

the  dark  tower  of  a  church  might  be  seen  peering 
forth,  to  indicate  the  existence  of  a  soVitary  pueblo, 
peopled  by  devout  Christians,  and  w^ith  the  faint 
traces  of  the  roads,  and  the  people  who  travelled 
on  them,  furnished  the  only  object  capable  of  fix- 
ing the  attention.  It  was  therefore  with  no  little 
pleasure  that  the  weary  eye  reverted  to  the  gay 
scene  in  the  Prado  below,  where  the  fine  keeping 
of  the  Royal  Guards  received  an  additional  varnish 
from  the  bright  sun  which  played  upon  casques 
and  cuirasses. 

It  was  the  feast  of  San  Bias,  of  course  an  idle  day 
throughout  Madrid,  and,  in  addition  to  the  attrac- 
tion of  a  review,  the  unemployed  Christians  of  this 
Catholic  city  had  a  more  powerful  inducement  to 
draw  them  to  the  Gate  of  Atocha.  Near  the  court 
of  that  name  is  a  small  hermitage  or  chapel,  where 
sundry  relics  of  the  saint  are  preserved,  and  where 
regularly,  once  a  year,  on  this  particular  day,  the 
inhabitants  of  Madrid  go  to  pray,  to  purchase 
charms  that  have  been  blessed  by  the  contact  of  a 
relic,  and  enjoy  th,e  pleasure  to  be  derived  from 
meeting  with  so  large  a  concourse  of  well-dressed 
persons.  Having  passed  through  the  little  chapel, 
which  is  richly  ornamented,  crossed  myself  with 
the  holy  water,  and  witnessed  the  ceremonies 
that  were  going  on,  I  directed  my  steps  along  the 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  227 

Prado  until  I  came  to  the  Royal  Museum  of  paint- 
ings. 

On  my  previous  journey  to  Spain,  this  establish- 
ment was  in  much  confusion.  The  pictures  which 
have  been  collected  by  the  late  king's  order  from 
all  the  royal  palaces,  were  not  yet  brought  together 
and  arranged,  and  the  place  offered  altogether  but 
a  dawning  of  the  brilliant  display  which  it  was  one 
day  to  furnish  to  the  lovers  of  this  delightful  art. 
Now,  however,  I  was  to  see  it  in  all  its  glory.. 

I  had  carried  away  from  Spain  the  most  delight- 
■ful  impressions  of  Velasquez  and  Murillo.  The 
first  was  associated  in  my  mind  with  the  idea  of 
strength,  grandeur,  and  reality,  in  whatever  relates 
to  his  art;  the  other,  with  all  that  is  true,  natural, 
lovely,  and  captivating.  The  divine  Morales^  too, 
and  Juan  de  Juanes,  the  Spanish  Raphael,  and  the 
gloomy  and  often  terrible  Ribera,  had  not  failed 
powerfully  to  affect  my  imagination,  and  impress 
themselves  on  my  memory  through  their  works. 
The  effect  of  the  visit  which  I  now  made  to  the 
Royal  Museum,  and  which  I  repeated  almost  daily 
during  the  month  that  I  remained  in  Madrid,  only 
tended  to  justify  and  increase  the  enthusiasm  which  ., 
I  already  felt  in  favour  of  Spanish  painting. 

The  Royal  Museum  at   Madrid  is   admirably 
arranged  for  the  exhibition  of  the  pictures  and  the 


228  SPAIN- REVISITED. 

accommodation  of  the  public.  Comfortable  seals 
are  placed  before  all  the  fine  paintings,  and  order  and 
silence  are  maintained,  that  the  impressions  of  the 
beholder  may  not  be  disturbed  by  the  impertinence 
or  frivolity  of  others.  The  .light  perhaps  might 
have  been  mor«  favourably  introduced  from  above; 
still  the  best  paintings  are  seen  to  great  advantage. 
The  building  is  divided  into  different  rooms,  ac- 
cording to  the  schools.  The  two  rooms  in  the 
north  wing  are  devoted  to  the  Spanish  school;  the 
central  portion  of  the  museum,  which  forms  indeed 
the  main  body  of  the  building,  contains  the  Italian 
paintings,  which  form  the  largest  portion  of  the 
collection.;'  and  the  two  rooms  in  the  south  wing 
are  devoted  to  the  Dutch,  German,  and  French 
schools.  In  this  splendid  collection  are  fine  speci- 
mens of  the  works  of  Raphael,  Titian,  Rubens, 
Caravaggio,  Leo.nardo  da  Vinci,  Giordano,  Guido^ 
Andrea  del  Sarto,  Grespi,  Mengs,  Paul  Veronese, 
and  Poussin.  The  means  therefore  of  making  a 
comparison  are  at  hand.  For  myself,  with  no 
right  to  form  and  assert  an  opinion  but  what  is 
derived  from  a  great  fondness  for  paintings,  from 
having  seen  many,  and  from  the  susceptibility  of 
deriving  the  most  exquisite  pleasure  from  the  sight, 
1  must  confess  that,  after  having  gone  slowly  through 
the  two  rooms  devoted  to  the  Spanish  school,  trav- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  229 

ersed  the  great-  hall,  and  examined  the  apartments 
at  its  extremity,  I  retraced  my  steps  with  impa- 
tience to  my  first  haunts,  and  turned  with  unabated 
pleasure  from  the  famous  Pasmo  de  Sicilia  of  Ra- 
phael, from  the  Charles  V.  of  Titian,  the  Holy 
Mother  sustaining  the  body  of  the  Saviour  of 
Daniel  Crespi,  and  the  Monna  Lisa  of  Leonardo 
Vinci,  to  study  and  dwell  upon  the  works  of  Murillo 
and  Velasquez. 

Velasquez  possessed  geniu^  and  imagination  of 
the  first  order,  guided  by  discriminating  judgment 
and  the  purest  taste.  His  works  are  said  by 
painters  and  the  critics  of  the  art,  to  bear  evidence 
that  he  had  exhausted  and  made  himself  master  of 
every  subject  connected  with  his  profession.  The 
purity  of  his  conceptions,  the  truth  of  his  design, 
and  its  faithfulness  to  nature,  and,  above  all,  the 
identity  of  his  colouring  with  what  is  found  in  life, 
render  it  almost  a  difiiculty  to  distinguish  the  repre- 
sentation from  the  reality.  Indeed,  his  portraits 
of  the  royal  personages  of  his  time  are  often  so 
completely  alive,  that,  one  half  fancies  he  sees  the 
individuals  themselves,  and  not  amere  representa- 
tion. One  of  the  most  striking  pictures  of  Velas- 
quez is  a  bacchanalian  group  of  revellers,  who  are 
not  mere  oil  and  colours,,  but  talking,  laughing,  and 

drunken  individuals.   "  Another  painting,  which  is 

20 


230  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

looked  on  by  artists  as  even  more  remarkable,- rep- 
resents a  domestic  scene  in  the  royal  family.  It 
is  singular  for  the  introduction  of  the  hght  from 
behind  in  the  centre  of  the  picture,  with  an  extra- 
ordinary and  magical  effect.  This  piece,  the  w^on- 
<3er  of  all  artists,  was  called  by  Giordano,  the 
painter  of  the  frescoes  of  the  Escurial  and  of  the 
old  Carthusian  convent  at  Naples,  the  theology  of 
painting.  -    . '       . 

Though,  in  contemplating  and  comparing  the 
works  of  the  two,  Velasquez  ever  seemed  to  me 
the  greater  genius,  yet  I  took  more  pleasure  in  the 
more  amiable  productions  of  Murillo.  No  painter 
indeed  seems  to  have  been  so  susceptible  to  female 
"beauty  and  loveliness,  or  so  capable  of  transferring 
his  conceptions  to  canvass.  His  children,  too,  have 
all  the  delightful  simplicity  of  their  age ;  there  is, 
indeed,  something  so  ingenious  yet  so  pleasing  in 
his  conceptions,  such  a  graceful  simplicity  in  his 
forms,  such  sweetness  of  expression  and  such  life, 
such  a  perfect  nature,  in  short,  so  beautifully  chosen 
and  so  faithfully  shown  forth,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  fail  adm.iring  the  productions  of  this  delightful 
artist,  or  to  resist  feeling  a  love  for  his  works  and 
for  himself.  .  . 

The  most  wonderful  perhaps  of  his  productions 
IS  a  painting  in  the  collection  of  the  street  of  Alcala, 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  231 

which  represents  an  angel  appearing  to  a  Roman 
cavaher  in  a  vision,  commanding  him  to  build  a 
church  in  honour  of  the  Virgin.  I  was  more 
pleased,  however,  with  the  picture  of  the  Sacred 
Family,  which  is  with  so  much  good  taste  placed 
in  the  most  conspicuous  station  in  the  Museum, 
and  at  the  head  of  the  catalogue.  There  are  no 
haloes  or  supernatural  signs  to  indicate  the  godlike 
character  of  the  child  or  the  glory  of  the  mother, 
such  as  one  has  never  seen,  to  destroy  the  impres- 
sion of  reality.  It  is  a  delightful  little  family  scene. 
The  Virgin  is  seated  beside  her  spinning-reel,  Jo- 
seph is  opposite,  and  tenderly  presses  the  child, 
who  has  a  bird  in  his  hand,  which  he  holds  up  be- 
yond the  reach  oY  a  little  dog,  which  is  looking 
wistfully  at  it,  with'  one  foot  raised,  and  apparently 
barking.  There  is  such  an  air  of  repose  in  the 
whole  scene,  and  it  gives  such  a  lively' idea  of  do- 
mestic happiness,  that  one  might  fancy  the  paint- 
er had  intended  it  as  the  eulogy  of  wedded  hfe. 
Joseph  is  looking  at  the  child  with  an  affectionate 
and  protecting  air,  while  the  Virgin,,  foregoing  her 
labour,  and  having  all  the  mother  in  her  looks,  is 
eying  him  with  tender  interest  and  admiration. 

Having  taken  a  turn  or  two  in  the  Saloon,  which 
was  unusually  full  and  brilliant,  I  was  about  to 
leave  the  Prado,  when  I  came  upon  my  old  mess- 


232  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

mate,  who  was  taking  a  Spanish  lesson  in  the 
open  air,  with  my  whilom  master  Don  Diego. 
They  had  made  a  long  walk  already,  the  effects  of 
which  were  very  visible  on  Don  Diego,  who  still 
preserved  his  mode  of  walking  with  the  toes  turned 
out,  and  who  now  seemed  on  the  point  of  expiring 
with  fatigue  and  lameness.  Notwithstanding  the 
sad  plight  he  was  in,  I  had  the  cruelty  to  propose 
that  he  should  accompany  me  in  search  of  lodgings, 
for  I  was  very  uncomfortable  in  the  fonda,  philoso- 
phizing all  the  while  as  we  went,  when  I  compared 
his  misery  with  my  indifference,  on  the  little  sym- 
pathy man  has  for  his  fellow  in  such  lesser  evils 
of  life  as  tight  boots  and  lame  feet,  and  others  that 
are  voluntarily  incurred  by  the  sufferer.  As  we 
went,  Don  Diego  related  various  facts  of  his  history 
since  we  parted.  One  of  the  most  serious  evils 
that  had  befallen  him,  was  the  religious  and  saint- 
like turn  that  his  wife  had  taken  of  late  years, 
which,  harmonizing  indifferently  with  his  own  un- 
godly disposition  and  life,  led  to  much  jarring  and 
domestic  disgust. 

Don  .Diego  remeipabered  the  widow  of  a  generjal 
who- had  rooms  in  the  street  of  Hortaleza,  and  we 
went  to  look  at  them.  They  were  neat  and  well 
furnished,  and  the  mistress,  whom  Don  Diego  ad- 
dressed in  the  usual  style  as  Mi  Generala,  was 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  233 

an  uncommonly  noble  and  interesting  looking  per- 
son of  five-and-thirty,  extremely  well  preserved. 
SJie  objected,  however,  to  the   shortness   of  my 
contemplated  stay,  as  it  might  interfere  with  her 
getting  an  agreeable  lodger  for  the  whole  season, 
and   added,  very   significantly,   that  three  weeks 
would  be  enough  for  no  purpose — "  no  serviria 
para  nada."     We  looked  at  another  house  in  the 
street  of  Montera,  on  whose  balconies  we  discovered 
the  usual  sign  of  a  piece  of  blank  white  paper,  tied 
to  the  gratings.     The  apartment  was  well  enough, 
and  the  landlady  had  a. very  pretty  .daughter,  whose 
black  eye^  were  skilfully  exhibited  among  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  place,  through  a  half-open  door. 
It  was,  however,  too  far  from  the  Gate  of  the  Sun, 
and  the  exposure  was  bad,  it  being  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  street  for  a  winter  lodging;- and  though 
I  fully  appreciated  the  advantage  of  being  agreea- 
bly surrounded,  and  having  the  pleasing  forms  of 
beauty  flitting  before  my  eyes,  and  conveying  ac- 
ceptable impressions  to  my  mind,' yet  I  had  lived 
too  long  in  Madrid,  and  was  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  difficulty  of  procuring  artificial  heat  in 
the  ill-constructed  and  comfortless  houses,  to  give 
up  the  advantage  of  basking   and  thawing   each 
morning  in  the  rays  of  the  sun,  for  the  lustre  of  a 
pair  of  Spanish  eyes,  however  black  and  shining. 

20* 


234  St'AIN  REVISITED. 

It  was  now  five  o'clock,  and  we  were  all  feeling 
very  hollow  after  our  walk,  a  sentiment  under 
which  our  stomalchs  were  becoming  impatient,  ex- 
cept perhaps  that  of  Don  Diego,  which,  being  a 
Spanish  one,  was  better  accustomed  to  bear  the 
burden  of  emptiness  and  be  put  off  with  a  cigar, 
intended  to  cheat  it  into  the  idea  that  dinner  was 
over.  So  we  crossed  the  street  to  my  fond^,  and 
ate  as  good  a  dinner  as  the  place  afforded,  which 
was  not  a  very  good  one.  Don  Diego,  however, 
seemed  to  think  it  excellent,  and  ate  with  sturdy, 
deliberate  perseverance,  characteristic  of  the  poor 
gentlemen  and  humble  pretendientes  among  his 
countrymen,  who,  when  the  occasion  offers,  take 
care  to  show  that  they  are  as  capable  of  the  ex- 
tremes of  repletion  as'of  abstinence. 

Having  the  early  part  of  the  evening  to  get  rid 

.  of,  I  went  alone  to  see  my  old  landlord  and  his 
amiable  daughter.  I  found  Florencia  seated  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  her  right  foot  resting  on  the 
brasier  to  enable  her  tp'  sustain  the  guitar,  whose 
chords  she  was  running  over  and  striking  in  plain- 
tive and  mournful  accordance.  Opposite  sat  Don 
Valentijie,  the  new  Bulletin  of  Commerce  on  his 
lap,  he  having  just  abandoned  it  to  busy  himself 
with  the  little  book  which  may  be  found  in  the 

■  pocket  of  every  Spaniard,  and  which  is  filled  with 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  235 

blank  leaves  of  very  thin  paper,  of  the  size  suited 
to  envelop  a  cigarillo,  one  of  which  leaves  he  was 
just  in  the  act  of  tearing  out,  as  he  looked  know- 
ingly out  of  his  one  eye  to  the  opening  door  when  I 
entered.  More  at  one  side,  and  modestly  apart,  sat 
the  humble  Bfidget,  the  wife  of  Don  Valentine, 
with  a  basket  containing  the  family  stockings,  which 
she  was  mending,  with  the  aid  of  a  pair  of  iron 
spectacles.  From  the  air  of  superiority  with  which 
she  was  always  treated  by  Don  Valentine,  not  how- 
ever accompanied  with  unkindness,  and  in  which 
she  quietly  acquiesced,  I  was  disposed  to  think  that 
there  had  been  something  in  their  union  which  ren- 
dered it  a  misalliance  :  perhaps  "she  could  not  boast 
the  nobility  of  blood  which  he  laid  claim  to.  How- 
ever, their  mode  of  life  was  too  humble,  and  their  so- 
cial position  too  isolated,  to  make  it  a  matter  of  much 
consequence,  or  capable  of  entailing  on  them  the 
imbittering  effects  and  the  misery  which  are,  the 
fruits  of  connubial  inequalities,  be  the  station  high 
or  low.  On  the  frame  of  the  brasier,  beside  the 
feet  of  Dona  Florencia,  sat  a  dozing  and  purring 
cat,  which  I  might  almost  have  fancied  the  ghost 
of  the  departed  Jessamine.  The  whole  scene 
indeed  was  so  familiar,  that,  when  I  took  posses- 
sion of  a  vacant  chair,  and  became  one  of  the  group, 
the  years  that  I  had  been  absent  were  effaced  from 


236  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

my  memory.  The  Bulletin  of  Commerce,  how- 
ever, reminding  me  that  Ferdinand  was  dead,  and 
despotism  had  let  go  her  hold,  would  have  served 
to  remind  me  of  the  change,  and  of  my  absence, 
had  not  Florencia,  when  asked  to  sing,  welcomed 
me  back  m  the  following  words,  adapted  to  a  plain- 
tive air,  and  sung  with  much  expression. 

"  Mi  bien  adorado  tu  eres  mi  consuelo 
Pues  de  ti  apartada,  no  encuentro  sosiego. 
,  Cuando  tu  me  cantas  encafilada  quedo ; 

Y  es  tanta  mi  dicha  que  hablarte  no  puedo. 

"  Al  oir  tu  voz  dentro  de  mi  pecho 
Siento  tal  placer  que  hablarte  no  puedo; 
Al  tocar  tu  mano  temblando  me  quedo  ' 

Y  mi  gozo  entonces  expUcar  no  puedo." 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  Florencia  renewed 
a  subject  which  we  had  discussed  a  year  before  by 
letter.  She  had  conceived  a  project  of  going  to 
America,  where  she  had  been  told  by  some  busy- 
body going  about  the  world  to  sow  discontent,  that 
she  would  not  only  be  completely  free — for  she 
was  a  great  liberal — but  be  able  to  support  her 
parents  by  teaching  the  young  ladies  there  how  to 
iisp  Spanish  and  sing  seguidillas.  I  had  strongly 
counselled  her  against  such  a  course,  and  now  re- 
peated the  same  advice.  "  For  heaven's  sake,"  said 
I,  "do  not  harbour  any  such  intention.     You  have 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  237 

bread  to  eat  and  clothes  to  put  on,  and  no  real  want 
ungratified ;.  you  are  living  quietly  and  happily, 
and  you  are  living  in  your  own  country.  Even 
supposing  that  you  should  be  able  to  surround 
yourself  with  greater  comforts  in  a  foreign  land, 
which  is  not  certain,  you  would,  at  all  events,  be 
among  a  people  strangers  to  your  usages  and  your 
language.  You  would  be  obliged  to  exchange  the 
mantilla  for  an  uncouth  bonnet,  and  instead  of  the 
sonorous  accents  of  your  own  Castilian,  would  hear 
sounds  like  the  hissing  of  many  snakes.  Instead 
of  the  noble  and  richly-ornamented  temples,  in 
which  your  religion  appears  under  such  an  impo- 
sing form,  you  would  have  to  hear  mass  in  the 
most  uncouth  edifices.  The  graceful  relaxation  of ' 
the  paseo  would  not  succeed ;  there  would  be  no 
Florida  or  Prado,  and  no  bullfight  to  go  to,  -and  the 
rest  of  the  Sunday  would  be  passed  in  silence  and 
seclusion.  Instead  of  the  life  of  quiet  repose  and 
dreamy  forgetfulness  in  which  you  here  live,  in 
common  with  all  around  you,  you  Would  find 
yourself  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  and  universal  move- 
ment, in  which  you  would  have  no  participatioil 
and  no  sympathy.  In  short,  the  whole  course  and 
habits  of  your  life  would  be  at  once  upset.  As 
for  liberty,  what  use  would  it  be  to  you  ?  Be  as- 
sured that  happiness  may  be  found  even  under  a 


238  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

government  as  bad  as  yours  has  been  in  the  years 
that  are  past.     After  all,  they  have  only  hung  up 
ihose  who  have   attempted  to  introduce  reforms 
which  the  country  was  not  prepared  for,  and  who 
placed  themselves  in  opposition  to  -the  will  of  the 
people.     You  have  lived  twenty-two  years   here, 
by  your  own  account :  try  if  you  cannot  live  other 
twenty-two  years.     And  then  to  die  far  from  one's 
home  !"    My  last  argument  seemed  to  have  touched 
a  tender  chord  in  unison  with  some  idea  that  had 
previously  occurred  to  her.     She  did  not  answer 
it ;  but,  striking  her  guitar,  presently  warbled  forth, 
in  a  modest  contralto  voice,  more  remarkable  for 
sweetness  than  power,  the  following  touching  as- 
sent to  all  that  I  had  been  saying  : — 

"  Si  muero  en  tierras  agenas 
'  '  Lejos  de  donde  naci, 

Quien  habra  dolor  de  mi  ? 
Sj  muero  en  ese  destierro, 
r  'A  que  no  fui  condenado,  '      '  ' 

•  No  merece  tan  gran  yerro 

Ser  plafiido  ni  llorado  ; 
Pues  si  yo  lo  he  procurado 
Y  toda  la  culpa  fui, 
Quien  habra  dolor  de  mi  1" 


^n- 


S 


% 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  239 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


LODGINGS    IN    MADRID. 


Apartments  — Entrance— Doiia  Lucretia— Anti-matrimonial  Argu. 
ments— Dofia  Lucretia's  Mode  of  Life— Teatro  Caserc— Fellow- 
Lodger— Scenes  from  my  Balcony— Occupation— Society. 

I  WAS  far  too  uncomfortable  in  my  wretched  inn 
to  think  of  remaining  there  during  the  whole  time 
I    proposed  to    stay  in   Madrid.     Florencia,  who 
promised  to  find  me  a  place,  if  possible,  in  her  own 
neighbourhood,  said  that  there   was   no  want  of 
hired  apartments  about  the  Gate  of  the  Sun ;  but 
there  was   some  difficulty  in  finding  such  as  were 
in  all  respects  unexceptionable,  since  many  estab- 
lishments of-  this  sort  were  kept  by  persons  of 
somewhat  equivocal  character,  who  enticed  young 
men  into  their  houses  with  a.  view  of  fascinating 
and   leading  them    astray.     Nevertheless,  at   the 
end  of  a  day  or  two,  passed  in  diligent  search,  she 
sent  me  word  to  take  possession  of  an  apartment 
which  she  had  retained  for  me  in  the  street  of  Car- 
mel,  and  which,  though  the  entrance  was  in  a  dif- 
ferent street,  had  its  front  just  where  I  wanted  it, 
on  the  street  of  Montera,  and  the  balcony  next  to 
her  own. 


'1 


240  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

Immediately  within  the  doorway,  giving  admis- 
sion to  a  passage  in  itself  sufficiently  narrow,  was 
a  modest  little  moveable  shop,  which  came  and 
went,  I  knew  not  whither,  morning  and  night,  and 
which  disappeared  altogether  on  feast  and  bullfight 
days.  It  was  kept  by  a  thin,  monastic-looking  in- 
dividual, who  sold  waxen  tapers,  arms,  legs,  eyes, 
ears,  and  babies,  all  religious  objects  connected 
with  funeral  ceremonies,  or  charms  to  offer  at  the 
shrine  ■  of  some  celebrated  saint,  for  a  happy  de- 
livery, or  for  the  recovery  of  an  afflicted  member 
of  the  easily  disordered  tenement,  in  which  our  no- 
bler part  is  shut  up. 

Having  traversed  this  first  passage  opening  on  the 
street,  I  found  myself  on  a  crooked  serpentine  stair- 
way, which  turned  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  with- 
out reason  or  ceremony,  and  in  almost  utter  dark- 
ness. Doors  were  scattered  about  on  either  hand, 
and  I  rang  at  half  a  dozen,  saluted  by  the  barking 
of  dogs,  the  growling  of  Spaniards  interrupted  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  siesta  and  torpid  state  which 
follow  the  repletion  of  a  greasy  dinner,  or  by  the 
sharp  and  angry  tones  of  scolding  females,  ere  I  at 
length  found  myself  at  the  right  one.  Nor  did  I 
ever  get  used  to  the  eccentricities  of  this  most  in- 
volved entrance.  Coming  home,  night  after  night, 
at  the  dead  hour  of  two  or  three,  having  patrolled 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  241 

the  Streets  with  a  drawn  dagger  under  my  cloak, 
to  defend  myself  against  the  robberies  that  were 
of  constant  occurrence,  I  used  to  get  into  the  outer 
door  by  the  aid  of  the  double  key  which  I  carried, 
and  reaching  the  end  of  the  passage,  I  would  com- 
mence ascending  without  any  geometrical  principle 
to  guide  me.  When  I  should  have  turned  to  the 
left  I  would  turn  to  the  right,  dislocating  my  foot 
against  a  wall,  or  else  keep  straight  on  until  vio- 
lently arrested,  and  in  serious  danger  of  damaging 
or  distorting  my  nose.  Sometimes  I  stepped  up 
when  I  should  have  stepped  down,  and  shook  my 
whole  frame  to  its  centre.  And  thus  I  have  more 
than  once  passed  half  an  hour,  moving  about,  like 
a  troubled  spirit,  from  the  ground  floor  to  the  gar- 
ret, fitting  my  key  into  strange  doors,  to  the  terror 
of  the  inmates,  who,  dreaming  of  robbery  and  mur- 
der, would  begin  to  rattle  sabres  or  bawl  for  assist- 
ance. 

But  to  return  to  my  new  landlady.  I  must  con- 
fess that  I  was  not  particularly  disposed  to  be 
pleased  either  with  her  or  her  habitation,  when  I 
at  length  rang  at  the  right  door,  and  she  admitted 
me.  On  entering  the  apartment  designed  for  me, 
however,  I  found  that  it  was  far  better  than  its  ap- 
proaches had  foretold,  being  matted  and  furnished 
with  more  than  usual  neatness.     The  alcove,  con- 

VOL.  I. — L  21 


242  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

cealed  by  nice  white  curtains,  contained  a  bed  of 
inviting  cleanliness,  and  the  brasier  and  other  arti- 
cles of  furniture,  susceptible  of  receiving  a  polish, 
shone  with  the  lustre  of  consummate  housewifery. 

When  I  got  before  the  broad  light  of  the  balcony, 
which  enjoyed  the  sunny  exposure  so  essential, 
where  artificial  heat  of  a  wholesome  kind  is  not  to 
be  procured,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  the 
person  of  my  patrona ;  and  I  saw  at  a  glance  that 
Florencia  had  taken  effectual  means  to  protect  me 
against  every  temptation  of  the  devil.  Dona  Lu- 
cretia,  whose  present,  rather  than  whose  past  his- 
tory, doubtless  rendered  her  name  an  appropriate 
one,  was  a  hale,  happy  old  lady,  of  five-and-fifty 
or  more,  still  struggling  to  keep  young.  She  was 
plump  and  well  conditioned,  with,  however,  a  neat 
little  foot,  which  she  had  somehow  managed  to 
keep  within  the  dimensions  of  a  small  shoe,  though 
her  good  keeping  hastened  to  show  itself  above,  in 
a  fat  and  unconstrained  ankle.  Her  eye,  too,  had 
some  remains  of  lustre,  and  the  long  habit  of  leer- 
ing and  casting  love-glances,  had  left  about  it  a 
certain  lurking  expression  of  roguery. 

She  was  a  native  of  Zamora,  and  had  never 
married ;  not,  by  her  account,  for  want  of  offers, 
for  she  had  received  many ;  but  having  seen  that 
her  father  and  mother  had  lived  unhappily  together, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  243 

and  her  earliest  recollections  being  of  domestic  dis- 
turbances, when  the  time  arrived  to  think  of  this 
matter,  and  occasion  called  upon  her  to  determine, 
for  she  told  me,  and  I  believed  her,  that  she  had 
been  very  handsome,  she  asked  herself  the  ques- 
tion, "  Shall  I  make  the  misery  of  my  parents  my 
ov\rn  ?  or  shall  I  not  rather  live  singly  blessed  ?" 
Having  well  weighed  all  these  considerations,  she, 
after  mature  deliberation,  determined  on  philosophic 
principles  for  a  life  of  liberty,  since,  though  she 
admitted  that  men  were  a  very  good  and  useful 
race  of  animals,  she  said  she  never  yet  had  seen 
one  whom  she  was  willing  tp  erect  into  a  perma- 
nent lord  and  master. 

Her  present  pastimes  yvere  suited  to  her  age ;  a 
little  gossip  each  morning  with  a  toothless  old  dame, 
who  came  to  tell  the  parish  news,  of  births,  deaths, 
marriages,  and  murders,  occupied  the  hour  suc- 
ceeding the  domestic  duties  of  the  day,  and  went 
on  without  interruption,  as  the  pipkin  simmered 
with  the  daily  puchero ;  on  a  feast-day,  fan  in  hand, 
and  mantilla  duly  adjusted,  she  would  go  in  state 
to  mass,  taking  the  key  of  the  door,  and  followed 
by  the  stout  maid  of  all  works,  in  the  character  of 
a  duena :  at  the  bullfight  she  never  failed  to  at- 
tend, for  she  was  a  zealous  aficionada ;  and  almost 
nightly  she  went  off  to  a  teatro  casero,  a  reunion 

L  2 


244  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

for  private  theatricals,  held  in  the  inelegant  barrier 
of  Lavapies.  The  man  who  brushed  my  clothes 
and  cleaned  my  boots,  and  between  whom  and  the 
old  lady  there  was  a  friendship  of  many  years  stand- 
ing, was  one  of  the  principal  actors.  I  went  for  curi- 
osity to  see  one  performance,  and  was  astonished, 
not  only  at  the  very  tolerable  style  of  the  acting,  but 
also  at  the  singularity  of  the  whole  circumstance, 
of  people  in  an  humble  sphere  of  life,  instead  of 
spending  the  little  superfluity  of  their  earnings  in 
getting  drunk,  or  congregating  together  in  places 
from  which  the  other  sex  was  excluded,  thus  com- 
bining to  fit  up,  and  paint  with  the  greatest  taste,  a 
httle  theatre,  where  they  not  only  played  farces  and 
danced  the  bolero,  but  even  commenced  regularly, 
as  at  the  great  theatres,  by  going  through  a  solemn 
didactic  piece.  On  this  occasion  they  played  the 
Telos  de  Meneses,  an  old  Spanish  tragedy  of  the 
cloak  and  sword,  filled  with  the  most  exaggerated 
and  nobly  extravagant  sentiments. 

There  was  one  lodger  in  the  house  besides  my- 
self, who  occupied  the  room  adjoining  mine,  and 
was  a  retired  colonel  in  the  army.  He  took  the 
world  easy,  and  instead  of  troubling  himself  with  the 
perplexities  of  the  day,  was  satisfied  to  fight  his  bat- 
tles over  again.  He  had  been  in  the  house  no  less 
than  twenty-five  years,  and  had  grown  old  with  the 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  245 

patrona,  liking  her,  as  she  doubtless  did  him,  from 

inveterate  habit  of  association  ;  their  affection  being 

of  the  sort  which  two  broken-winded  horses  bear 

to  each  other,  after  drawing  together  for  years  with 

only  a  pole  between  them.     The  two  furnished  an 

example  of  the  curious  friendships  one  often  sees 

on  the  Continent,  between  people  who  have  allowed 

the  spring  and  harvest-time  of  their  existence  to 

pass  away,  without  surrounding  themselves  with 

those  domestic  endearments  for  the  solace  of  the 

evening  of  life  which  marriage  alone  affords,  and 

who  lean  upon  each  other  rather  from  a  horror  of 

soHtude,  than  out  of  love  for  each  other. 

Thus  agreeably  situated  at  home,  I  passed  my 

mornings  in  witnessing  the  daily  parade,  when  the 

guard  was  relieved  in  the  palace,  or  in  basking  in 

the  sunshine  at  my  balcony,  as  I  chatted  with  my 

old  friend  of  the  house  adjoining,  or  looked  down, 

with  an  interest  that  never  flagged,  on  the  stirring 

scenes  of  the  Gate  of  the  Sun.     In  the  morning, 

people  from  the  country  thronged  in  with  supplies 

for  the  markets,  laden  on  mules  or  asses;  and  a 

long  file   of  rude   carts,  made   entirely  of  wood, 

without  tires  to  the  wheels,  or  iron  of  any  sort, 

might  be  seen  laden  with  charcoal,  slowly  drawn 

by  starved  cows  or  oxen,  attempting  the  ascent  of 

the  street  of  Montera.     As  they  advanced,  the  fric' 

21* 


246  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

tion  of  the  wheels  sent  forth  a  sort  of  bagpipe 
melody;  sometimes  the  animals,  not  being  shod, 
were  unable  to  advance  with  their  rudely-con- 
structed vehicles,  and  the  poor  boors  from  the 
country  would  be  in  sad  distress:  If  fortunate, 
they  would  manage,  by  the  aid  of  blows  and  curses, 
to  get  their  poor  beasts  in  motion  again ;  or  else 
they  woiild  stop  altogether  and  be  unable  to  go  on, 
the  mortification  of  the  peasants  being  of  course 
immeasurably  increased,  by  the  sneers  of  the  idle 
dandies  who  looked  on,  and  who,  instead  of  being 
prompted  by  benevolence  to  aid  them,  would  ejac- 
ulate contemptuously  upon  Spanish  barbarism,  as 
exemplified  in  the  rudeness  of  these  wretched  ve- 
hicles. My  balcony  enabled  me,  in  fact,  to  witness 
all  that  was  going  on,  and,  as  it  were,  to  read  the 
history  of  Madrid  from  day  to  day.  When  the 
market-people,  and  the  venders  of  bread,  meat,  and 
vegetables  had  finished  the  business  of  the  morning, 
the  loungers  and  military  dandies  took  possession  of 
the  Gate  of  the  Sun.  After  a  time,  the  Prado  and 
the  dinner  hour  would  leave  it  once  more  empty ; 
and  in  the  evening  it  would  again  fill.  At  dark  I 
would  be  called  forth  by  the  bell  and  the  chant  of 
the  rosary,  swelling  and  subsiding  again  into  dead 
silence,  to  be  renewed  once  more  by  the  whole 
procession  at  the  sounding  of  a  bassoon ;  and  at 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  247 

eight  o'clock  in  the  night,  the  reginaental  drums 
beating  the  retreat  as  they  passed  below,  completed 
the  series  of  exhibitions,  and,  while  they  sum- 
moned the  military  to  their  barracks,  announced 
the  completion  of  the  day. 

My  whole  time  glided  away,  indeed,  most  agree- 
ably in  Madrid ;  since,  to  one  peculiarly  sensible 
to  skyey  influences,  the  transition  from  an  atmos- 
phere of  rain,  fog,  and  coal-smoke,  to  the  unclouded 
brilliancy  of  a  Spanish  heaven,  was  alone  inspiring. 
The  surrounding  objects,  too,  were  all  of  a  pleasing 
character.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  amiable 
and  excellent  lady  of  our  minister,  I  obtained  an  in- 
troduction to  the  diplomatic  circles,  some  members 
of  which  1  had  known  on  my  previous  visit  to  Spain, 
and  I  had  always  a  home  in  the  hospitable  niansion 
of  our  own  embassy.  Although  these  circumstances 
had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  enjoyments  of  my 
residence  in  Madrid,  occupied  a  portion  of  my 
time,  and  furnished  me  with  a  renewed  opportunity 
of  observing  the  higher  branches  of  the  Spanish 
aristocracy,  who  possess,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the 
grace  and  dignity  which  characterize  the  manners 
of  the  whole  nation,  yet  it  forms  no  part  of  my 
purpose  to  describe  any  thing  that  I  may  have  seen 
under  these  circumstances.  It  is  a  very  common 
and  very  true  remark,  that  well-bred  people  are 


248  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

everywhere  the  same.  A  description  of  them 
can  of  course  have  little  of  that  dramatic  interest 
which  has  its  origin  in  picturesque  and  peculiar 
manners,  or  in  the  eccentricity  and  absurdities 
which  are  banished  from  polite  circles.  Besides, 
the  writer  of  travels  who  feels  like  a  gentleman, 
and  this  should  be,  though  it  is  not,  every  such 
writer,  must  ever  be  unwilling  to  describe  people 
whom  he  could  have  had  no  opportunity  of  observ- 
ing, but  for  acts  of  hospitality  exercised  towards 
himself.  In  my  previous  work  on  Spain,  I  only 
mentioned  or  alluded  to  those  of  the  people  I  had 
seen,,  who  might  possibly  be  vain  of  the'honour  of  ap- 
pearing in  print,  or  to  whom  it  might  be  productive 
of  benefit.  I  was  happy,  indeed,  to  find  that  I  had 
been  able  to  procure  Don  Valentine  and  his  daugh- 
ter a  notoriety  among  American  and  EngUsh  tour- 
ists, which  brought  them  many  lodgers,  and  for 
Don  Diego  abundance  of  pupils  and  good  harvest 
of  pesetas. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  249 


CHAPTER   XV. 

POLITICAL   ANECDOTES. 

Ferdinand— Censorship  of  Morals— Teresa  the  Favourite— Zea  Ber- 
mudez— The  Succession— Council  of  Regency— Hypocrisy  of 
Ferdinand — ^Fernandez  del  Pino— Cordova — Marquis  of  Amarillas 
—Duke  of  Alagon— Queen  Regent— Carlotta— The  Conservatory 
— Christina. 

In  the  course  of  my  intercourse  with  persons  in 
some  way  connected  witli  the  affairs  of  the  court, 
and  especially  with  a  very  intelhgent  young  coun- 
tryman attached  to  our  embassy,  and  familiar  with 
all  that  had  transpired  during  the  last  three  or  four 
eventful  years,  which  have  brought  about  such  a 
complete  revolution  in  the  political  condition  of 
Spain,  I  became  acquainted  with  many  facts  rela- 
ting to  Ferdinand,  the  late  king,  which  place  his 
character  in  an  entirely  different  light  from  that  in 
which  I  had  before  been  accustomed  to  regard  it. 
I  had  described  him  in  my  previous  work  as  a  stu- 
pid, slothful,  and  ignorant,  but  rather  good-natured 
individual.  But  I  now  found  that  he  had  much 
natural  cleverness,  had  read  extensively,  and  was 
well  acquainted  with  the  laws  of  his  country  and 
with   history    generally.     He   had   managed,  too, 

L   3 


250  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

with  admirable  tact,  so  to  balance  the  opposing 
parlies  of  the  liberals  and  the  absolutists,  or  rather 
the  advocates  of  the  church,  as  to  keep  every  thing 
quiet,  and  maintain  all  the  real  povi^er  in  his  own 
hands.  He  did  not  labour,  indeed,  at  all,  for  the  pros- 
perity and  advancement  of  the  happiness  of  Spain, 
but  only  for  the  stability  and  secure  possession  of 
his  own  despotic  and  undisputed  sway.  It  must 
be  owned,  however,  that  by  his  last  marriage,  and 
his  anxiety  to  leave  the  throne  to  an  heir  of  his 
own  body,  he  bequeathed  to  Spain  a  legacy  of 
strife  and  contention,  which  the  advantage  gained 
by  a  premature  transfer  of  the  government  from 
the  hands  of  the. church  party  to  those* of  the  liber- 
als, may  scarcely  be  ^ble  to  compensate. 

From  having  lived  a  very  licentious  life  in  his 
youth,  Ferdinand  became  in  late  years  exceedingly 
severe  towards  such  as  followed  his  early,  rather 
than  his  later  example.  He  exercised  a  rigorous 
censorship  over  the  morals  of  the  court,  receiving 
and  listening  to  complaints  from  husbands  against 
their  wives,  and  wives  against  their  husbands  and 
their  husbands'  paramours,  sending  the  offenders, 
for  one  or  more  years,  to  the  retirement  of  some 
obscure  pueblo,  or  to  read  the  lives  of  the  saints, 
or  sing  penitential  psalms,  in  the  cloisters  of  a  con- 
vent.    These  edicts  of  banishment  were  often  re- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  251 

voked,  on  a  display  of  penitence  by  the  offending 
party,  at  the  desire  of  a  wife  an3f:ious  to  be  restored 
to  the  arms  of  her  repentant  spouse,  or  upon  the 
mutual  stipulation  of  the  parties  to  live  well  to- 
gether, and  lead  in  future  an  exemplary  life,  and 
set  an  example  of  dovelike  attachment.  There  is 
much  in  all  this  to  remind  one  of  the  singular  state 
of  society  which  existed  in  France,  in  the  two  or 
three  reigns  which  preceded  the  revolution,  when 
lettres  de  cachet  were  the  order  of  the  day,  and  the 
intrigues  of  peace-making  dowagers  would  send  a 
libertine  to  the  Bastile  until  he  was  ready  to  bind 
himself  in  future  to  attend  properly  to  all  his  do- 
mestic duties  :  in  short,  "a  hien  vivre  avec  son 
ipouse^  In  Spain,  indeed,  one  might  look  in  vain 
for  the  high  refinement  which  then  existed  in  the 
sister  kingdom;  for  the  wit,  sprightliness,  grace, 
and  good  taste,  which  gilded  the  immorality  of  her 
nobihty,  and  for  that  polished  form  of  existence 
which  the  country  villas  and  chateaux  exhibited,  as 
we  read  of  them  vsx  the  light  and  sprightly  memoirs 
of  the  time.   " 

Every  one  has  heard  something  of  the  curious  ca- 
reer of  Teresa,  a  French  milliner,  who,  from  exerci- 
sing her  art  in  the  decoration  of  the  young  Queen's 
person,  came  at  length  to  obtain  such  an  influence 
over  her  mind  as  to  make  use  of  her  interest  with 


252  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

the  King,  not  only  to  grant  offices  and  confer  pro- 
motion on  such  as  previously  took  care  to  pay  her, 
but  even  to  influence  the  affairs  of  state.  Teresa, 
in  turn,  had  her  favourite,  who  was,  naturally 
enough,  of  the  other  sex,  being  an  able-bodied  offi- 
cer of  the  royal  body-guard.  The  King,  in  one  of 
his  joking  moods,  in  humorous  imitation  of  Ham- 
let, induced  one  of  the  players  who  was  to  act  be- 
fore the  court  in  the  private  theatre  of  the  Conser- 
vatory of  Music,  to  introduce  into  his  part  a  sly 
phrase,  the  purport  of  which  was,  that  if  any  one 
wanted  an  office  he  must  apply  to  Teresa.  The 
power  of  this  omnipotent  wocZwto .  was  at  length 
demolished,  by  the  sturdy  and  obstinate  effi)rts  of 
Zea  Bermudez,  who  insisted  upon  her  banishment. 
The  order  was  secretly  issued,  a  carriage  and  post- 
mules  prepared,  and  the  favourite,  roused  from  her 
bed  in  the  dead  of  night,  was  hurried,  half  dressed, 
into  the  vehicle,  and  shot  off,  like  a  rocket,  to  the 
frontier.  The  exchange  was  the  more  unaccepta- 
ble, that  she  had  not  been  roused  from  a  comfort- 
less and  solitary  pillow ;  indeed,  the  scene  which 
her  chamber  disclosed,  when  thus  suddenly  thrown 
open  to  inspection,  was  quite  worthy  to  form  an 
episode  in  the  adventures  of  that  quondam  chroni- 
cler Gil  Bias  of  Santillana. 

Zea  Bermudez,  the  Prime  Minister,  who  was 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  253 

able  thus  to  triumph  over  an  intriguing  fenaale,  who 
held,  at  the  same  time,  the  reins  of  fashion  and  of 
state,  and  who  decided  at  once  the  colour  of  a 
riband  and  the  fate  of  a  public  functionary,  is  a 
man  of  no  common  character  and  ability.  Having 
raised  himself,  by  his  own  commanding  talents, 
from  the  pursuits  of  trade,  so  little  esteemed  in 
Spain,  to  the  highest  station,  he  was  conspicuous 
alike  for  his  capacity  for  business,  and  for  great 
firmness  of  purpose  and  obstinate  decision.  He 
had  also  the  much  rarer  quality,  in  a  Spanish 
statesman,  of  integrity.  Fully  acquainted  with  the 
evils  that  oppressed  his  country,  he  had  the  sin- 
cerest  desire  to  remove  them,  and  introduce  such 
salutary  reform  as  the  condition  of  Spain  would 
sanction ;  although  he  did  not  think  that  she  was 
fit  for  self-government,  through  the  medium  of 
popular  representation,  and  was  consequently  no 
favourite  with  the  liberals,  by  whom  alone  the 
young  Queen  could  be  supported  in  her  rights, 
while  with  the  church  party  he  was  even  more  de- 
tested, as  they  were  all  in  favour  of  the  succession 
of  Carlos,  who  had  been  banished  through  his  in- 
strumentality. It  is  said,  indeed,  that  nothing  but 
the  energy  with  which  Zea  held  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment, and  developed  and  directed  its  power  at 
the  moment  of  Ferdinand's  death,  secured  the  suc- 

22 


254  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

cession  of  his  daughter,  confirmed  the  doubtful 
loyahy  of  the  army  and  the  captains-general  of 
the  provinces,  and  prevented  a  universal  declara- 
tion in  favour  of  Don  Carlos-. 

There  can  be  no  hardihood  in  asserting,  that  had 
this  prince  possessed  the  prompt  courage  neces- 
sary to  present  himself  to  his  partisans  and  to 
claim  his  rights,  not  only  at  this  crisis,  but  for 
months  afterward,  the  mass  of  the  nation  would 
have  declared  in  his  favour,  and  he  would  have  as- 
cended his  throne  with  less  bloodshed  than  has 
since  ensued.  Perhaps  his  triumph  by  the  aid  of 
the  church,  and  in  opposition  to  the  liberals,  might 
have  led  to  the  perpetration  of  many  atrocities  in 
Spain ;  the  scaffolds,  of  course,  would  have  been 
busy  everywhere  to  celebrate  and  secure  the  vic- 
tory ;  and  very  likely  the  Inquisition  might  again 
have  been  established,  as  a  sort  of  secret  police, 
on  thei  same  footing  as  before  the  revolution  of  the 
Island  of  Leon.  It  is  well,  perhaps,  then,  that 
Carlos  should  not  thus  have  ascended  the  throne, 
but  Jt  may  well  be  questioned  whether  it  would 
not  have  been  better  for  the  happiness  of  Spain, 
had  Ferdinand  not  contracted  his  last  marriage, 
and,  by  changing  the  law  of  succession,  in  rather  a 
juggling  and  suspicious  way,  entailed  upon  his 
country  a  war,  of  which  the  horrors  have  already 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  255 

mor6  than  redeemed  the  doubtful  advantage  of 
giving  precedence  to  opinions  which  are  not  the 
prevaihng  ones  in  Spain,  and  introducing  into  it 
institutions  which  are  not  in  harmony  with  the 
wants,  the  wishes,  and  the  prejudices  of  the  ma- 
jority. Had  Carlos  succeeded  naturally,  and  with- 
out opposition,  to  the  crown,  the  country  would  at 
least  have  escaped  from  a  disputed  succession  and 
from  civil  war.  He  is  said,  moreover,  to  be  an 
amiable,  honest,  and  conscientious  man ;  and  the 
extreme  mildness  of  his  character,  rendered  so  evi- 
dent by  late  events,  would  have  perhaps  furnished 
a  security  against  any  ultra  attempts  at  persecu- 
tion, which  might  excite  to  revolt,  or  his  putting 
down  liberal  opinions  by  cruelty  and  oppression. 
As  to  the  abstract  question  of  the  rights  of  the 
individual-,  it  is  of  no  consequence  to  me  or  to  my 
countrymen,  who  have  little  faith  in  the  divine 
fight  of  kings,  and  no  respect  whatever  for  the  in- 
violability of  their  property  in  the  soil  and  its  in- 
habitants. .  .        .      . 

But  to  return  to  Ferdinand :  it  must  be  owned 
that,  having  determined  to  leave  the  succession  to 
his  daughter,  and  a  legacy  of  contention  to  the  lib- 
erals and  apostolicals,  whom  he  equally  disliked, 
he  made  a  very  judicious  selection  of  the  Council 
of  Regency,  when,  reflecting  that  the  latter  would 


256  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

be  in  favour  of  Carlos,  and  that  his  daughter  would 
have  to  depend  for  support  on  the  opposite  party, 
he  chose  her  advisers  almost  entirely  from  among 
them.  Several  individuals  named  in  his  will  were 
in  banishment,  and  one  of  them,  Garelli,  opposite 
to  whose  name  he  is  said  to  have  made  a  note — 
"  El  mejor  ministro  que  he  tenido — the  best  minis- 
ter I  ever  had" — had  been  persecuted  by  him  for  his 
liberal  opinions,  and  was  actually  in  such  a  state 
of  obscurity  at  the  time  when  the  King's  death 
called  him  to  so  elevated  a  station,  that  he  was 
obliged  to  keep  a  school  for  his  support. 
- '  Perhaps  the  most  striking  characteristic  of  Fer- 

I 

dinand  was  his  proneness  to  treachery  and  hypoc- 
risy. An  anecdote,  strongly  illustrative  of  this,  is 
related  of  him  in  his  conduct  to  Fernandez  del 
Pino,  a  very  able  and  intelligent  statesman,  who 
was  Minister  of  Grace  and  Justice  during  the  ad- 
ministration of  Zea,  and  who  was  dismissed  on 
account  of  being  of  too  liberal  politics  for  the  prime 
minister.  During  a  council,  or  some  court  assem- 
bly, one  morning,  in  the  palace,  the  King  had  been 
particularly  civil  to  Fernandez  del  Pino,  and  when 
he  was  about  to  leave,  addressed  him  very  kindly, 
and  ended  by  saying,  as  he  patted  him  on  the 
back,  "  Oh !  that  I  had  a  thousand  friends  like  you, 
del  Pino! — Ojala  que  tuviera  mil  hombres  como 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  257 

tu,  Fernandez  /"  The  delighted  minister,  over- 
whelmed with  the  royal  kindness,  and  swelhng 
with  exultation,  bowed  himself  out ;  but  the  mo- 
ment his  back  was  turned,  the  facetious  monarch, 
leering,  winking,  and  looking  round  to  hjs  courtiers, 
made  the  contemptuous  exclandation,  "  toma  /"  ac- 
companied by  a  vulgar  and  obscene  motion  of  the 
arm,  only  in  use  among  the  lowest  Spaniards. 
That  night  Fernandez  del  Pino  had  an  interview 
with  the  King,  parted  kindly,  very  likely,  with  the 
present  of  a  cigar  from  the  royal  mouth,  and  leaving 
his  office  at  eleven  o'clock,  at  half  past  one  the 
same  night  he  received  his  dismissal,  and  an  order 
to  go  instantly  into  banishment. 

During  the  time  of  the  Constitution,  Ferdinand, 
while  he  pretended  to  acquiesce  in  it,  was  yet  in- 
triguing, and  using  every  effort  to  overturn  it.  By 
the  aid  of  a  very  brave  young  officer  in  the  cavalry 
of  the  guard,  by  the  name  of  Cordova,  he  project- 
ed a  rising  among  the  troops,  to  put  down  the  Con- 
stitution. On  the  day  appointed,  Cordova  rode 
into  the  palace-yard,  at  the  head  of  some  soldiers 
of  his  own  corps,  whom  he  had  gained  over,  shout- 
ing, "  Viva  el  rey  absoluto  /"  Instead  of  being 
joined  by  the  rest  of  the  guards,  they  were  attacked 
and  borne  down  by  superior  forces,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  courage  with  which  they  fought,  were 

22* 


258  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

ridden  over  and  cut  to  pieces.  Meantime,  Ferdi- 
nand, who  w^itnessed  the  transaction  from  his  pal- 
ace window,  seeing  that  the  attempt  was  to  have 
an  unsuccessful  result,  and  dreading  lest  his  com- 
plicity should  be  suspected,  bawled  out,  at  the  top 
of  his  voice,  "  A  ellos  ! — At  them  !  cut  them  to 
pieces  !  Do  not  spare  one  of  the  rascals  !"  One 
can  scarce  conceive  any  thing  in  Eastern  treachery 
more  consummate  and  mX)re  refined  ;  the  massacre 
of  the  Mamalukes  is  not  worthy  to  be  named  with 
it,  for  the  Mamalukes  were  the  enemies  of  their 
executioner ;  perhaps  it  may  be  regarded  as  even 
more  infamous  than  that  delusive  treachery  which 
tempted  his  own  quondam  page  and  favourite 
Torrijos  to  land  on  the  coast  of  Andalusia,  and 
when  the  news  came  that  he  and  his  followers 
were  snugly  caught  in  the  net  which  a  well-chosen 
agent  had  spread  for  them,  suggested  the  charac- 
teristic despatch — "  Let  them  be  shot.  I,  the 
King — Que  los  fusilan.  Yo  el  Rey^  As  for 
Cordova,  he  escaped  the  massacre  of  the  palace- 
yard,  where  he  fought  with  the  greatest  bravery, 
and  after  languishing  in  prison  until  the  overthrow 
of  the  constitution  by  the  French,  he  was  borne  at 
once  to  a  high  military  station,  being  promoted,  at 
a  single  step,  from  captain  or  lieutenant  to  mariscal 
de  campo.     At  the  death  of  the  King  he  repre- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  259 

sented  him  as  Minister  to  Portugal,  and  has  since 
taken  service  under  the  Queen's  government,  and 
distinguished  himself  against  the  Carlists  in  Na- 
varre. 

Having  related  so  many  anecdotes  calculated  to 
place  the  character  of  Ferdinand  in  an  odious  light, 
it  will  be  no  more  than  fair  to  give  him  an  oppor- 
tunity, like  a  prisoner  upon  trial,  to  speak  last  in 
his  own  defence,  by  mentioning  an  instance  in 
which  he  behaved  with  great  magnanimity.  It 
seem?,  that  'on  some  remote  occasion,  he  did  or 
said  something  in  the  presence  of  his  courtiers, 
which  gave  offence  to  the  Marquis  of  Amarillas,  a 
distinguished  nobleman  and  military  officer.  Ama- 
rillas, in  the  indignation  of  the  moment,  could  not 
help  exclaiming  to  one  who  stood  near  him,  "  Que 
bruto  es  ese  hombre ! — what  a  beast  that  man  is  !" 
Ferdinand  overheard  the  imprudent  exclamation, 
but  took  no  notice  of  it  at  the  moment,  though  he 
remembered  it  ever  after.  Indeed,  it  is  not  likely 
that  kings  hear  themselves  thus  frankly  spoken 
of  so  often,  that  it  should  make  no  impression  on 
them.  He  did  not,  however,  visit  the  offence  either 
with  open  punishment  or  secret  persecution,  but 
simply  left  the  offender  unemployed ;  and  the  fact 
of  his  having  overheard  this  remark  remained  un- 
known, until,  when  pressed  by  some  minister  to 


260  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

employ  so  distinguished  an  officer,  and  make  use 
of  his  talents,  he  consented,  but  at  the  same  time 
stated  his  reason  for  not  employing  him  at  Madrid, 
or  in  any  situation  near  his  person,  while  giving 
him  a  command  in  one  of  the  provinces,  I  think 
that  of  captain-general  of  the  kingdom  of  Serville. 
While  he  was  unwilhng  to  sacrifice  his  own 
insulted  feelings  as  a  king  and  as  a  man,  still  he 
would  not,  on  that  account,  deprive  the  state  of  the 
advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  service  of  Ama- 
rillas ;  and,  in  making  his  will,  he  also  appointed 
him  to  the  high  station  of  member  of  the  Council 
of  Regency. 

The  general  joy  with  which  the  long  hoped  for 
news  of  the  death  of  Ferdinand  is  said  to  have 
been  received  in  Madrid,  is  another  instance  of  the 
way  in  which  people  who  have  the  honour  of 
being  governed  by  a  king,  revenge  themselves,  in 
a  single  day  of  unrestrained  exultation,  at  their 
newly-recovered  independence,  ere  they  turn  again 
to  the  task  of  adulation.  Two  persons  alone  are 
said  to  have  evinced  any  sorrow  at  the  event ;  one 
of  them  being  Don  Francisco,  the  King's  younger 
brother,  to  whom,  as  well  as  to  Don  Carlos,  he 
was  most  sincerely  attached.  The  other  was  the  old 
Duke  of  Alagon,  who  had,  I  believe,  been  the  tutor 
of  Ferdinand  in  his  boyhood  ;  and,  at  all  events,  was 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  261 

his  inseparable  companion  during  his  confinement 
in  Valencay,  and  ever  afterward.  His  friendship 
had  been  of  that  entire  and  unquahfied  description, 
which  does  not  Stop  to  ask  questions  of  its  own 
dignity,  but  only  desires  to  know  in  what  way  it 
may  be  useful.  The  grief  of  this  man  for  the  loss 
of  his  master,  is  such,  perhaps,  as  only  one  who 
has  grown  gray  in  the  sunshine  of  royal  favour, 
and  in  a  life  of  adulation  and  pandering  to  the 
tastes  of  others,  can,  perhaps,  appreciate.  The- 
venerable  courtier  is  said  to  have  remained  utterly 
comfortless  after  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  and  was 
frequently  found  in  secret  shedding  tears  at  his 
bereavement.  Later  accounts,  however,  give  us 
the  hope  that  he  is  in  a  fair  way  to  recover  his 
equanimity,  since  he  is  said  to  maintain  his  favour 
with  the  widowed  Queen,  and  to  be  striving  to  merit 
her  regard,  by  rendering  himself  useful  to  her,  after 
the  same  fashion  in  which  he  had  served  her  hus- 
band. .  •  ■     ■  :    . 

As  for  the  Queen  Regent  herself,  it  is  not  very 
reasonable  that  she  should  feel  much  regret  at  the 
loss  of  a  husband  who  was  actually  in  a  state  of 
decomposition  before  his  death.  She  is  said,  how-, 
ever,  to  have  acquitted  herself  most  creditably  of 
all  her  duties  towards  him,  down  to  the  latest  mo- 
ment, attending  personally  to  all  his  wants,  not- 


262  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

withstanding  the  disgusting  object  which  he  had 
become,  and  continuing  to  share  his  bed,  and  to 
watch  over  his  pillow,  with  a  tenderness  and  a  so- 
licitude which  belong  exclusively  to  the  female 
character,  and  of  which  she  has  shown  that  she 
had  a  woman's  share. 

Since  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  Christina  is  said 
to  have  evinced,  in  several  instances,  much  energy 
and  courage.  On  the  occasion  of  the  sedition 
•whicl;!  occurred  in  Madrid,  when  the  royalist  vol- 
unteers were  disarmed,  she  was  desirous  to  mount 
her  horse  and  ride  to  the  scene  of  danger,  but 
of  course  this  wish  was  resisted.  Her  riding, 
be  it  said  in  passing,  is  quite  the  admiration  of 
Madrid,  where  females  are  not  often  seen  on  horse- 
back. In  energy,  however,  she  is  far  exceeded  by 
her  elder  sister,  Luisa'Carlotta,  the  wife  of  Don 
Francisco,  since  to  her  is  she  in  no  small  degree 
iiidebted  for  the  succession  of  her  daughter,  and 
for  the  position  which  she  now  occupies  as  Queen 
Regent.  When  the  King  became  sick  at  La 
Granja,  in  August  of  1832,  he  was  prevailed  upon 
to  repeal  his  will,  and  leave  the  crown  to  Carlos, 
Soon  after  he  fell  into  a  trance,  and  was  supposed 
to  be  dead,  during  which  every  thing  was  arranged 
by  the  ministers  to  proclaim  Don  Carlos,  and 
Christina  herself  acquiesced  in  the  act  which  was 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  263 

to  deprive  her  daughter  of  a  crown,  and  herself  of 
the  enjoyment  of  supreme  power  during  a  long 
minority.  In  the  meantime  the  King  came  to 
life  again,  to  the  astonishment  of  everybody,  and 
the  disappointment  of  many.  Luisa  Carlotta, 
too,  who  had  been  travelling  with  her  husband  in 
Andalusia,  now  returned.  She  began  by  boxing 
Calomarde's  ears  very  soundly,  for  not  acquaint- 
ing her  with  the  passing  events ;  changed  all  the 
arrangements,  procured  the  restoration  of  the  origi- 
nal will,  banished  all  those  who  had  taken  part  in 
the  scheme,  and  been  too  hasty  in  oflfering  their 
allegiance  to  the  new  king,  and  violently  upbraided 
her  sister  for  a  weakness  which  rendered  her  un- 
worthy  to  reign.  The  stage  itself  never  witnessed, 
indeed,  a  more  complete  shifting  of  scenes,  and 
sudden  reversal  of  an  expected  and  probable  ca- 
tastrophe. .  »       .  . .        ■  <    . 

As  no  courts  were  to  be  held  during  my  stay  in 
Madrid,  on  account  of  the  mourning  for  the  King,  I 
had  to  be  satisfied  with  such  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  Queen  as  could  otherwise  be  found.  There  is 
in  Madrid  a  conservatory  of  music,  estabUshed  by  . 
Christina  herself,  and  under  her  especial  patron-  ■ 
age,  into  which  are  admitted  all  young  persons  of 
both  sexes  who  are  noticed  in  any  part  of  Spain  to 
possess  musical  talent,  and  who  here  have  the  ben- 


264  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

efit  of  a  thorough  musical  education.  Their  gen- 
eral education  is  also  attended  to,  and  such  as  show 
an  aptness  for  the  stage,  have  an  opportunity  of 
improving  it.  Once  a  week,  during  the  winter,  an 
entertainment  was  given  here  by  the  Queen,  at 
which  the  nobility,  and  those  connected  with  the 
court,  were  admitted ;  and  by  the  kindness  of  the 
lady  of  our  minister,  I  was  able  to  witness  one  of 
these  exhibitions. 

The  little  theatre  where  they  took  place  was 
fitted  up  with  great  neatness,  simplicity,  and  good 
taste ;  the  curtain,  which  was  very  beautiful,  rep- 
resenting a  scene  on  the  Tagus,  at  Aranjuez.  The 
members  of  the  school,  whom  I  had  often  seen 
•walking  on  the  Prado,  in  procession,  were  arranged 
in  front ;  the  young  men  rather  absurdly  dressed, 
in  elegantly  embroidered  coats,  cocked  hats,  and 
swords,  and  the  girls  in  shawls  and  bonnets ;  the 
hats  and  bonnets  were,  however,  now  equally  laid 
aside,  and  the  pupils  of  both  sexes  wore  the 
Queen's  favourite  colour,  known  in  Spain  as  the 
'Christina  blue.  At  the  appointed  hour,  the  clatter 
of  many  hoofs,  in  the  street,  and,  soon  after,  the 
clang  of  sabres  and  halberds  falling  on  the  marble 
pavement  of  the  stairway  and  galleries,  and  shouts 
of  "  Long  live  Christina,"  mingling  with  the  stern 
orders  of  the  military  officers,  announced  the  arri- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  265 

val  of  the  Queen.     All  rose  to  receive  her,  and  she 
presently  entered,  accompanied  by  Don  Francisco 
and  Don    Sebastian,  with   her  two  sisters,   their 
wives.     As  she  advanced  up  the  passage  to  her 
seat,  she  was  received  with  enthusiastic  vivas  and 
waving  of  fans,  which  she  recurned  with  a  rare 
grace,  and  a  captivating  smile  of  recognition  di- 
rected  to   those   whom    she    distinguished.      Her 
height  is  good,  and  she  is  extremely  well  formed, 
though  inclining  to  become  large.    She  was  dressed 
with  great  simplicity  and  good  taste,  in  black,  with 
jet  ornaments,  and  a  panache  in  her  hair,  which 
was  dressed  a  la  Chinoise.     Though  her  nose  was 
somewhat  larger  than   is  becoming,  and,  withal, 
slightly  jetroussee,  yet  the  style  of  her  face  was  de- 
cidedly good,  and  the  effect  of  .the  whole,  enhanced 
by  a  sweet  air  of  amiability  and  goodness  of  heart, 
was  quite  captivating.     She  did  not  take  her  seat 
on  the  species  of  throne,  surmounted  by  a  canopy, 
which  was  placed  at  one  side,  but  on  the  front  rank 
of  benches,  which  happened  to  be  only  two  imme- 
diately in  advance  of  that  on  which  I  was  sitting. 
The  three  "princesses  were  attended  by-their  cham 
berlains,  among  whom  I  noticed   particularly  one,  , 
on  whose  arm  hung  the  Queen's  pelisse  of  velvet 
and  costly  furs,  and  who  was  a  very  noble-looking 
man,  with  a  classical  cast  of  countenance,  and  a 
VOL.  I. — M  23 


266  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

pale  complexion,  contrasting  strongly  with  his  black 
and  nicely-defined  mustache,  and  a  full  dark  eye, 
which,  while   it  reposed  languidly  within  its  lid, 
seemed  capable  of  lighting  up  and  kindling  with 
excitement  and  fire.     His   plain  dress   of  black, 
with  no  other  ornament  than  the  gold  key  which 
designated  bis  office,  corresponded  with  the  sim.- 
plicity  and  striking  character  of  his  whole  person. 
On  inquiry,  I  was  told  that  his  name  was  Munoz), 
whom  it  was  impossible  not  to  look  On  as  a  most 
happy  fellow,  to  hold  an  office  of  the  kind  about 
the  person  of  so  charming  a  lady.     When  the  cur- 
tain rose,  there  was  a  variety  of  music,  singing, 
and  a  play,  in  which  the  pupils  acted,  with  the  aid 
of  the  tragedian  La  Torre,  from  the  theatre  of  the 
Principe'.     Though  the  acting  was  the  best  I  had 
seen  in  Madrid,  I  was  not  sufficiently  interested  in 
it,  hot  to  find  a  much  greater  pleasure  in  looking  at 
the  Queen.   Her  head,  indeed,  was  so  finely  shaped, 
with  a  couple  of  little  ears  fitting  nicely  and  tightly 
on  either  side,  and  being  \he  first  pair  of  ears  that 
ever 'Struck  me  ^as  having  any  beauty;   then  her 
neck  was   so   swan-like  and   faultless,"  and   it   so 
gradually  and  naturally  spread   out,  and  expand- 
ed   into,  such   a  noble  foundation,  in  a  figure   at 
once  dignified,  stately,  and  commanding,  and  in 
which  majesty  was  blended  with  an  easy  grace ; 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  267 

but  above  all,  when  she  turned  her  head,  as  she 
did  from  tinae  to  time,  to  notice  and  salute  the 
ladies  about  her,  her  countenance  so  lit  up  with 
smiles,  and  became  radiant  with  sweetness  and 
amiability,  that  I  could  not  keep  from  feeling 
towards  her  a  degree  of  reverence  and  enthusiastic 
admiration^  which  was  less  a  homage  to  her  gran- 
deur and  proud  condition  as  a  queen,  than  to  her 
exceeding  loveliness  as  a  woman.  ■  • 

M  2 


•'  •  ♦  '• 


268  SPAIN    REVISITED. 


CHAPTER    XVL 

>  > 

BULLS. 

First  Horror  of  the  Uninitiated — Programme — A  Fight — ^The  Am- 
phitheatre— Opening  the  Feast— Procession  of  Fighters — The 
Hangman — The  Alguazils — Winter  Sport  Bad — A  Fierce  Bull — 
Sevilla  the  Picador — The  Encounter — A  Disgraced  Matadore — 
Pedro  Sanchez — Close. 

;  Though  the  theatre  was  not  sufficiently  good  to 
attract  me  often  during  my  stay  of  a  month  in 
Madrid,  yet  I  lost  no  occasion  of  attending  the 
national  sport  of  the  bullfight.  There  were,  I 
think,  three  courses  extraordinary,  as  they  are 
called,  during  the  carnival,  being  conceded  ex- 
pressly, by  the  grace  of  the  Queen,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Hospital  of  San  Carlos.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact,  that  strangers,  who  are  ever  shocked  and  dis- 
gusted at  the  first  bullfight  they  witness — and  I  re- 
member once  seeing  a  fighting  friend,  who  burnt 
powder  with  unbounded  gusto,  made  sick  at  the 
sight  of  one — gradually  learn  to  look  at  others  with 
less  abhorrence,  until  they  come  at  length  to  feel  a 
decided  interest  in  this  bloody  and  dangerous  sport : 
and  while  they  satisfy  their  consciences  with  the 
reflection  that  it  would  still  go  on  without  their  at- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  269 

tendance ;  that  human  beings  would  still  continue 
to  put  their  lives  in  jeopardy;  that  the  Jiorses 
would  still  be  gored  and  torn  to  pieces,  and  the 
bulls  tortured  and  put  to  death,  whatever  might  be 
their  bravery  and  resistance,  determine  most  inno- 
cently to  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  exciting  spec- 
tacle.       .  ' 

It  is  impossible  for  it,  indeed,  to  go  on  without 
your  knowledge,  for  the  immense  handbill  which 
announces  it,  and  whifch,  by  covering  more  space 
than  those  of  all  the  theatres  and  masquerades  put 
together,  shows  its  superior  importance,  stares  you 
in  the  face  at  every  corner,  while  the  crowd  of  per- 
sons who  gather  round  to  read  the  programme  of 
the  bulls,  the  picadors,  and  the  swordsmen,  who 
are  to  figure  on  the  occasion,  and  anticipate  the 
pleasure  which  js  in  store  for  them,  awaken  within 
you  a  feeling  of  sympathetic  interest  and  expecta- 
tion. For  the  benefit  of  such  inferior  tatterdemal- 
ions as  cannot  procure  the  trifling  sum  which  is 
necessary  for  admission,  it  is  moreover  announced, 
that  the  bulls  will  be  in  the  accustomed  spot  on 
the  preceding  vespers,  to  be  driven  thence  to  the 
stalls  of  the  arena,  when  thousands  of  the  lowest 
orders  go  to  witness  the  gratuitous  exhibition  of 
the  encierro,  to  speculate  on  the  qualities  of  the 
animals,  the  prospects  of  bloody  sport,  and,  by  their 


23 


# 


270  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

whoops,  fluttering  of  cloaks,  throwing  of  stones, 
and  the  fr^e  use  of  their  cudgels,  to  furnish  the  fran- 
tic beasts  with  a  foretaste  of  the  tortures  that  await 
them. 

Should  the  conspicuous  handbill  have  escaped 
your  attention,  it  will  not  fail  to  be  awakened  by 
other  circumstances.  When  the  day  arrives,  the 
shops  being  closed  at  the  hour  of  dinner  and  siesta, 
are  no  more  reopened,  for  shopkeeper  and  artisan, 
citizen  and  soldier,  blending  their  sympathies,  and 
mOved  by  one  common  impulse,  are  seen  pouring 
from  all  the  remote  quarters  of  the  capital  to  the 
common  thoroughfare  of  the  Gate  of  the  Sun- 
Thence  they  direct  their  steps  towards  the  Prado, 
and  the  wide  •  street,  of  Alcala  scarce  suffices  to 
give  passage  to  the  swollen  current,  which  extends, 
one  vast  river  of  human  heads,  to  .where  the  view 
at  length  terminates,  at  the  outlet  of  the  Gale  of 
Alcala.  There  is  nothing  left  for  a  quiet  person, 
disposed  to  go  with  the,  crowd,  and  do  like  his 
neighbours,  when  once  caught  in  the  vortex,  but 
to  abandon  himself  to  the  onward  movement  and 
float  forward.  '  ,  •         • 

Such  were  the  ideas  that  occurred  to  me  on  the 
first  day  of  the  fight,  as  I  took  my  way  down  the 
street  of  Alcala,  at  the  appointed  hour.  .  It  was 
not,  however,  by   accident,  or  at   all'  reluctantly, 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  271 

that  I  went.  My  two  American  friends  were  with 
me,  and  we  had  taken  care  to  secure  ourselves 
confifortable  seats  in  the  sojnbra,  or  at  the  shady 
side,  to  avoid  the  sun,  which,  in  the  middle  of  win- 
ter, was  still  sufficiently  powerful  to  be  annoying. 
As  we  went  on  the  crowd  thickened  from  the  ave- 
nues of  the  Prado,  whence  those  who  had  completed 
the  daily  promenade  repaired  to  the  more  stirring 
entertainment  without  the  gates.  Here,  too,  we 
were  joined  by  many  coaches,  antiquated  or  gay 
and  drawn  by  mules  or  horses  ;  the  calesines,  from 
which  peered  out  the  happy  and  expecting  faces 
of  pretty  Manolas,  hurried  by  at. a  rapid  rate;  the 
lively  Andalusian  drivers  running  by  the  side  of 
the  horse,  and  holding  to  his  head-stall.  'One  or 
two  majos,  mounted  on  fine  Xeressanoj  or  Gordo- 
vese  horses,  with  their  sweethearts,  instead  of-re- 
maining  neglected  and  unnoticed,  on  a  pillion  be- 
hind, more  gallantly  accommodated  in  front  and 
on  the  lap,  tightly  embraced  the  buxom  mistresses 
of  their  affections  with  one  arm,  wlrile  with  the 
other  they  reined  their  steeds,  by  the  aid  of  a 
powerful  bit,  into  an  easy  amble.  We  had  just 
reached  the  amphitheatre  Ayhen  the  Infantes  drove 
up  in  their  state  carriages,  drawn  by  beautiful 
horses,  guided  by  gayly-dressed  jockeys.  •  A  picket 
of  the  cuirassiers  of  the  guard,  stationed  there  to 


272  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

keep  the  peace,  received  them  with  miUtary  hon- 
ours, and  soon  after,  ahghting  and  delivering  their 
horses  over  to  the  less  fortunate  few  who  were  ap- 
pointed to  take  care  of  them,  hastened  within  to  en- 
joy gratuitously,  from  doorways  and  corridors,  the 
sports  of  the  occasion. 

The  scene  within  was  not  the  less  grand  and 
striking  to  me  from  its  past  familiarity.  More 
than  ten  thousand  people  were  arranged  in  regular 
gradation  round  the  circle,  forming  an  interminable 
series,  around  which  the  eye  ranged  in  vain  search 
of  any  break  or  limit  pn  which  to  repose  itself, 
within  the  vortex  of  human  heads.  The  whole 
assemblage  was  actuated  by  a  common  sentiment 
of  loyalty  towards  the  princes  who  had  just  entered, 
which  evinced  itself  in  w-aving  of  hats  and  hand- 
kerchiefs, familiar  beckoning  with  the  fan,  on  the 
part  of  the  females,  and  loudly  resounding  accla- 
mations and  vivas ;  the  general  joy  at  their  arrival 
being  no  doubt  greatly  enhanced  by  the  impatience 
which  all  felt  to  hail  the  opening  of  the  entertain- 
ment. ,  ,    .  • 

When  the  Infante  Don  Francisco  had  seated 
himself,  the  Corregidor  of  Madrid,  who  presided 
over  the  sports  as  the  representative  of  the  young 
Queen,  made  signal  for  the  entry  of  the  alguazils. 
.They  immediately  rode  into  the  arena,  in  the  rich 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  273 

black  Spanish  dress  of  former  times,  with  short 
cloak,  plumed  hat,  and  their  wands  of  office  in  their 
hands.  Their  beautiful  barbed  horses  were  housed 
in  the  Moorish  style,  and  reined  back  upon  their 
haunches  by  the  heavy  bits,  which  threw  spirit 
and  grace  into  all  their  movements.  Having  salu- 
ted the  princes  and  the  corregidor,  and  cleared  the 
lists,  they  proceeded,  by  two  opposite  gates,  to  in- 
troduce the  mounted  picadors  on  one  side,  and  the 
matadores,  heading  their  respective  bands  of  light- 
footed  and  gayly-dressed  chulos,  at  the  other. 
Each  man,  as  he  passed  the  threshold  of  that  arena 
froin  which  he  might  be  dragged  away  a  corpse, 
was  seen  to  cross  himself,  according  to  devout 
usage.  I  had  never  seen  such  a  fine  exhibition  of 
bullfighters  as  now  moved  in  procession,  to  make 
their  obeisance  before  the  royal  box.  The  dresses 
were  all  new,  and  of  the  richest  and  most  tastefully 
contrasted  colours,  black  and  white,  green  and 
gold,  blue  and  silver,  each  chulo,  moreover,  bear- 
ing over  his  arm  a  Hght  cloak  of  taffeta,  purple, 
scarlet,  or  azure,  calculated,  by  its  gaudy  hue,  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  enraged  and  irritated 
animals,  whose  tortures  we  were  all  so  impatient 
to  witness.  The  horses,  too,  were  much  better 
looking  than  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing  on 
such  occasions,  an  improvement  which,  my  young 

M  3 


274  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

countryman  informed  me,  had  been  brought  about 
by' the  criticisms  of  the  press,  which  had  now  re- 
covered a  certain  hberty  of  animadversion. 

And  now  the  verdugo,  or  common  hangman,  was 
introduced,  aniid  the  groans,  shrill  whistling,  and 
execrations  of  the  populace.  He  came  to  receive 
the  key  of  the  toril,  which,  as  he  knelt  before  the 
royal  box,  was  thrown  to  him  by  the  corregidor. 
Having  received  it,  he  departed,  to  give  egress  ta 
the  bulls,  saluted  by  a  renewed  exhibition  of  the  ill- 
will  and  detestation  of  the  canalla,  who  thu^  sought 
to  take  satisfaction  in  advance  for  the  insult  he 
was  likely  to  offer  one  day  to  many  of  them,  when, 
he  should  adjust  the  iron  collar  of  the  garrote  to 
their  necks,  or  take  a  ride  upon  their  shoulders  in. 
the  Place  of  Barley.  As  the  bull  furiously  entered^ 
the  alguazils  hastened  to  escape,  putting  their 
hor'ses  to  full  speed..  '  In  going. out,  tney  also  re- 
ceived a  share  of  the  same  epithets  which  had 
been  so  freely  bestowed  upon  their  brother  worthy^ 
the  harigraan^  jvhose  office  begins  with  the  culprit 
at  the.  point  where  theirs  terminates.  The  algua- 
zils are,  moreover,  employed  to  levy  fine§,  and  dis- 
train upon  the  poor,  and,  as  they  are  great  miscre- 
ants, who  use  the  arm  of  justice  about  as  consci- 
entiously as  the  myrmidons  of  a  Turkish  pacha, 
they  are  looked  on  in  any  thing  but  an  amiable 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  275 

light  by  the  mob,  who  avail  themselves  of  their 
moment  of  liberty,  as  tjiey  sit  in  judgment  on  the 
benches  of  the  amphitheatre,  to  vent  their  hatred 
against  the  baser  instruments  of  a  despotism  which 
sits  in  unheeded  supremacy  above  them. 

Having  in  my  former  work  endeavoured .  to 
describe  a  bullfight  which  I  saw  in  Spain,  under 
much  more  interesting  circumstances  than  the  pres- 
ent, I  will  not  trouble  either- the  reader  or  myself 
with  any  detailed  account  of  this.  The  fact  is, 
the  bulls  w^ere  not  good,  as  all  the  ladies  present 
admitted  ;  that  is,  they  were  not  all  fierce,  nor  dis- 
posed to  pursue  and  kill  the  men  and  horses  that 
assailed  them.  In  summer,  the  health  and  vigour 
which  they  acquire  on  the  sides  of  the  Sierra  Mo- 
rena,  or  in  the  rich  pastures  of  the  Guadiana,  the  heat 
of  the  season  inflaming  the  blood,  and  the  madden- 
ing irritation  which  they  feel  at  being  separated  from 
the  sleek  and  comely  companions  of  their  woodland 
wanderings,  to  be  driven  over  dusty  roads,  without 
food  or  water,  to  the  dark  seclusion  and  cruel  tor- 
tures of  the  toril,  all  tend  to  develop  the  fiercer 
qualities  of  a  brave  and  genecous  animal,  and  ren- 
der him  as  cruel  as  m^in,  his  persecutor.  In  win- 
ter, however,  he  has  less  bodily  vigour -and  irrita- 
bihty  of  blood,  and  all  the  tortures  which  are 
practised  upon  him,  by  slitting  his  ears,  and  driving 


276  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

in  his  neck  the  barb  which  bears  the  device  indic- 
ative of  the  race  from  which  he  is  sprung,  do  not 
suffice  to  render  him  fierce  and  impetuous.  He 
is,  on  this  account,  the  more  difficult  to  attack. 
The  chulos,  in  affixing  the  banderillas,  instead  of 
avaihng  themselves  of  a  bold  onset,  when  the  bull 
closes  his  eyes,  and  rushes  in  a  straight  line  upon 
them,  are  obliged  to  run  past  him,  at  the  risk  of 
being  transfixed  by  an  irregular  motion  of  the 
horns.  During  the  fight,  the  banderillas  afuegOy 
which  contained  fire-works,  were  applied,  on  the 
call  of  the  audience,  to  almost  every  bull.  They 
went  oJBf  with  a  report  like  that  of  a  scattering  vol- 
ley of  musketry,  and  produced  a  momentary  fury, 
which,  in  most  instances,  sufficed  to  excite  the  at- 
tack which  the  office  of  the  matadore  required. 

Only  one  bull  displayed  straight  forward  courage 
and  fury,  overturning  in  succession  both  picadors, 
breaking  in  the  resistance  of  their  lances,  and  lift- 
ing horse  and  rider  completely  from  the  ground. 
The  arena  was  thus  entirely  cleared,  and  three 
measured  strokes  upon, the  benches,  made  simul- 
taneously by  the  whole  audience,  with  staves,  and 
stamping  of  the  feet,  were  kept  up  as  applause  to 
the  bull,  until  another  picador  had  ridden  into  the 
arena.  On  raising  the  fallen  horses,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  one  of  the  picadors  was  lifeless  ;  but 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  277 

this  excited  no  very  great  astonishment,  and  only 
a  temporary  display  of  sympathy.  He  was  dragged 
out  of  the  arena,  and  another,  who  had  been  watch- 
ing outside  of  the  barrier,  in  the  hope  of  seeing 
one  of  his  companions  killed  or  disabled,  and  his 
services  required,  by  which  he  would  gain  an 
ounce,  instead  of  five  dollars,  for  simply  holding 
himself  in  readiness,  hastened  to  mount  and  ride 
into  the  arena.  The  other  picador,  by  name  Se- 
villa,  being  also  extricated,  and  his  horse  dragged 
by  the  bridle  and  lifted  on  his  legs  again,  was  now 
able  to  remount ;  it  being  found  that  by  stuffing  tow 
into  the  deep  gore  in  the  horse's  side,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  effusion  of  blood,  he  would  be  able  to  hold 
out  a  little  longer,  and  perhaps  save  the  hospital 
the  expense  of  another  horse,  by  receiving  two 
death  wound^  instead  of  one,  and  being  thiis  doubly 
killed  in  the  cause'  of  humanity. 

Urging  his  horse  along,  by  dint  of  spur,  and  by 
beating  him  with  his  heavy  lance,  to  the  great  ap- 
plause of  the  audience,  Sevilla,  who  was  the  (lar- 
ling  of  the  amphitheatre,  and  who  deserved  to  be 
so,  for  never  was  there  a  better  picador,  got  him- 
self in  front  of  his  comrade,  and  commenced  at- 
tracting the  attention  of  the  bull,  by  shaking  his 
bridle  at  him,  calling  him  vile  names,  and  laughing 
him  to  scorn.     Some  of  the  audience  applauded 

24  • 


278  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

his  bravery ;  but  the  more  knowing  ones  reproved 
him  for  attacking  out  of  his  turn.  "  Afuera  Se- 
viUa ! '  a  ti  no  te  toca !  lo  demasiado  hueno  es 
maloT- cried  one  of  the  critics.  His  lance,  how- 
ever, was  poised,  and  the  bull,  depressing  his  horns, 
commenced  the  onset.  No  picador  ever  turned  a 
bull  with  greater  dexterity  than  Sevilla.  He  would 
have  succeeded,  too,  on  this  occasion,  but  his  al- 
ready wounded  horse,  though  blinded,  having  an 
idea  of  the  danger,  just  then  turned  to  escape,  with 
what  little  strength  remained  to  him ;  the  lance 
shivered,  and  the  bull,  breaking  in,  continued  his 
onset.  Sevilla  had  now  the  presence  of  mind  to 
throw  down  his  hat,  to  take  off  the  attention  of  the 
infuriated  animal ;  bu,t  he  kept  on,  caught  the  horse 
on  both  horns,  and,  throwing  his  head  frantically 
back,  brought  him  over  aj.  his  feet.  Sevilla,  half 
hidden  under  the  animal,  lay  struggling  beneath  his 
nose.  At  that  moment  a  chulo.darted  by  :  throw- 
ing his  purple  cloak  into  the  face  of  the  conqueror, 
he  turned  away  in  pursuit  of  the  new  enemy  who 
thus  dared  to'  brave  him,  and  the  life  of  Sevilla  was 
respited.  The  poor  horse,  with  his.hind  leg  broken, 
was  unable  again  to  rise.  He  lay 'calmly,  with  his 
head  erect,  looking  round,  and  with  a  dumb  expres- 
sion of  anguish,  which  but  imperfectly  expressed 
the  torture  he  was   suffering,  as  his  life's   blood 


SPAlJN  REVISITED.  279 

ebbed  away,  and  the  indignation  he  was  entitled 
to  feel,  if  such  a  thing  were  permitted  to  a  horse, 
at  the  long  continued  ingratitude,-  concluding  in  so 
cruel  a  death,  by  which  man  had  requited  his  de- 
votion to  his  service.  Tlie  first  use  which  Sevilla 
made  of  his  legs,  on  regaining  them,  was  to  bestow 
as  hearty  a  kick  as  the  encumbrance  of  his  armour 
would  allow,  upon  the  uplifted  head  of  the  poor 
animal.  This  proof  of.  his  unshaken  courage  and 
presence  of  mind,'a«  well  as  of  his  brutality,  was 
received  with  immense  applause.  .  •  '  ,        . 

It  was  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  kill  such 
a  bull  as  this,  for  he  was  a  de'cided  claro.  The  mat- 
adore,  having  presented  himself  before  the  Infante, 
brought  one  kneelo  the  ground,  demanding  permis- 
sion to  kill  that  bull  in  his  honour,  and,  finally,  hav- 
ing thrown  his  cocked  hat  away,  walked  boldly  to 
where  the  animal  was  dashing  wildly  about  in  the 
hands  of  the  tantalizing  chulos.  His  first  rush  at 
the  moleta^  or  blood-red  b-anner,  was  harmless  to 
himself-  and  to  the  matadore ;  at  the  second,  the 
sword  was  poised,  with  its  point  directed  behind 
the  shoulder,  and,  in  an  jnslant,  alt -but  the  handle 
was  hidden  in  his  body.  One  fearful  groan  fol- 
lowed, and  announced  that  tlie  seat  of  life  had  been 
invaded  ;  he  snorted  blood,  pawed  the  ground  with 
a  remnant  of  fiiry,  and  made  one  more  rush  at  the 


280  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

jeering  matadore ;    then  the  blood  began  to  run 
more  freely  from  his  mouth ;  he  moaned  piteously, 
and,  standing  less  firmly  on  his  legs,  began  to  falter 
aiid  stagger.    "  Estais  borracho  acaso  V  said  one  of 
the  rabble,  and  soon  after  his  head  wavered  ;  he 
looked   as    if   the    amphitheatre  were    swimming 
around  him,  and  began  to  move  rapidly  backwards, 
to  keep  himself  on  his  legs,  but  presently  they  re- 
fused to  sustain  him,  and  he  came  heavily  to  the 
ground.      And    now  the   amphitheatre   resounded 
with  shouts  and  the   beating  of  the   benches,  in 
honour  of  the  victor.     Wiping  his  sword  on  the 
moleta,  he  took  his  way  to  the  royal  box,  kneeled 
again,  and  received  a  nod  of  approbation.     The 
clamorous  mob,  not  content  with  such  testimonials 
of  favour  as  words  conveyed,  now'  threw  their  hats 
at  his  feet.     He   picked  up  each,  and  made   an 
obeisance,  as  he  threw  'it  back  to  its  owner. 
,   The  other  bulls  .were  cowardly  and  shy,  and, 
therefore,  difficult  to  kill.     One  of  them,  indeed,  a 
silly  thing,  not  only  leaped  the  barrier,  and  came 
down  among  the  orange  and  water  men,  but  actu- 
ally attempted,  afterward,  to  jump  over  Sevilla's 
horse,  alighting   on   his    neck,    at   which    Sevilla 
laughed  as  heartily  as  any  of  the  spectators.     It 
happened  that  one  of  the  matadores  was  a  great 
bungler,  so  that  half  a  dozen  blows  were  struck, 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  281 

without  killing  the  very  shy  bull  which  he  had  to 
deal  with.  The  audience,  upon  this,  became  most 
clamorous.  One  tells  him  to  make  haste,  that  it 
is  growing  late,  that  the  diversion  is  delayed  ;  an- 
other, imboldened  by  the  importance  of  having  paid 
ten  cents  at  the  door,  that  he  is  robbing  him  of  his 
money ;  while  an  old  woman,  sitting  near  me,  as- 
sured him,  in  a  loud  shrill  tone,  that  he  was  as  fit 
to  fight  bulls  as  she  was,  and  that  he  had  better,  a 
great  deal,  go  to  the  tavern  of  Tio  Pelao,  and  call 
for  a  bottle,  which  he  might  possibly  havfe  the 
courage  to  empty.  Meantime,  the  words  ladron, 
grandisimo  tunate,  bribon,  and  cobarde,  resounded 
in  a  discordant  chorus  on  all  sides,  as  the  mob, 
taking  advantage  of  their  security  and  numbers, 
insulted  the  man  who  was  at  the  very  moment 
exposing  his  life  for  their  amusement.  At  length 
their  impatience  became  ungovernable;  and,  al- 
though the  poor  fellow  presently  succeeded  in 
killing  the  bull,  they  ordered  him  out  of  the  arena, 
with  cries  of  "  afuera  !  afuera !  hombre  de  poca 
verguenza  !  a  la  carcel  /"  ordering  him,  as  a  man 
wholly  without  shame,  to  be  sent  to  prison,  where, 
indeed,  unsuccessful  bullfighters  are  often  confined- 
for  weeks,' by  the  general  verdict  of  the  whole  am- 
phitheatre, formed  into  a  self-constituted  jury. 

.The  remaining  bulls  were  killed  by  Pedro  San- 

24* 


282  spai:n  revisited. 

chez,  a  matadore  little  known  to  fame,  but  who, 
nevertheless,  aspired  to  the  highest  honours  of  the 
arena,  in  the  absence  of  the  great  Montes,  the  Tal- 
ma of  the  profession.  This  Sanchez,  indeed,  made 
up  in  fearless  courage,  and  utter  contempt  of  death, 
what  he  might  want  in  skill.  If  the  bull  would 
not  attack  him,  he  attacked  the  bull,  advancing 
upon  him,  and  lounging  hke  a  fencer,  attempting 
to  strike  the  spine,  or  else  to  bury  the  sword  in  the 
back,  which  is,  beyond  measure,  difficult,  where 
the  impetus  of  the  bull's  career  in  rushing  forward 
is  Wanting.  Some  of  the  audience  applauded  his 
courage,*  otlicrs  reproached  his  temerity.  The  se- 
quel showed  that  the  disapproving  critics  were 
right.  In  one  of  these  ui^accustomed  thrusts,  not 
sanctioned  by  any  rUle  to  be  found  in  the  "treatises 
on  the  science  of  tauromachy,  Sanchez  received  a 
blow  on  the  arm  from  the  bull's  horn,  as  he  tossed 
his  head  -about.  His  sword  was  thrown  to  a  dis- 
tance, and  he  fell  helpless  at  the  feet  of  the  animal, 
which  might  have  finished  him  by  a  single  toss  of 
.  the  head.  The  excitement  throughout  the  amphi- 
theatre was  excessive.  "  Que  harharidad  /"  ex- 
•  claimed  a  woman  near  me,  clasping  her  hands ; 
an  expression  which  might  either  apply  to  the  sin- 
gularity of  the  attack,  the  temerity  of  the  matadore, . 
'  or  the  danger  of  his  situatiofi,  it  being  employed 


>SPAIN  REVISITED.  283 

on  every  possible  occasion;,  at  the  rapture  occa- 
sioned by  the  sudden  sight  of  a  beautiful  horse,  or 
of  a  lovely  woman.  ^   ■  •« 

The  sympathy  of  the  audience  was,  however, 
soon  relieved ;  for,  seeing  that  this  bull  would  not 
meet  his  adversary  in   fair  dnd  open  fight,  he  was 
now  doomed  to  die  feloniously,  by  a  dishonourable 
weapon.     Two  measured  claps  of  the  hand  were 
heard  in  different  parts  of  the  amphitheatre,  until 
at  length  the  whole  audience  joined  simultaneously 
in  the  din,  and  it  became  tremendous.     This  was 
the  signal  for  the  media  luna,  a  sharp  instrument, 
in  the  shape  of  a  half  moon,  which  is  affixed  at 
the  middle  to  the  end  of  a  long  pole,  having  the 
hollow  part  outwards.     An  inferior  bullfighter,  a 
common  butcher,  indeed,  the  same  whose  office  it  is 
to  desp'atch  the  bull  after  he  is  dovvn,  by  a  dagger- 
blow  behind  the  horns,  now  entered  the  arena  with 
this  dreadful  weapon.     Getting  behind  the  bull,  he 
stole  stealthily  upon  him,  uriperceived,  and,  pois- 
ing and  directing  hig  weapon  above  the  joint  of  one 
of  his  hind  legs,  severed  the  hamstring  at  a  blow. 
I  never  saw  any  thing  more  piteous  than  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  poor  brute,  when   he  found  the 
support  of  his  limb  thus  removed;  struggling  to 
keep  up  on  the  other  three,  and  even  to  escape,  Jie 
shook   the    mutilated    member    convulsively,   and 


284  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

moaned  and  bellowed  in  tones  which  would  have 
conveyed  the  idea  of  agony  to  any  ear,  however 
unaccustomed  to-  the  expressive  groans  of  tortured 
animals.  Seizing  the  bull  by  the  tail,  the  vulgar 
murderer  now  brought  him  to  the  ground,  and 
drove  his  dagger  deep  into  the  spine.  One  con- 
vulsive shudder  passed  over  his  frame,  and  he  be- 
came motionless.  The  mules  were  called  in,  and 
he  disappeared,  amid  clouds  of  dust,  and  the  op- 
probrious exclamations  of  the  multitude. 

On  leaving  the  amphitheatre,  we  were  again 
struck  with  the  singular  spectacle  presented  in  the 
street  of  Alcala,  by  the  departing  audience,  who, 
looked  down  upon  at  a  slight  angle,  concealed 
every  portion  of  the  street,  and  left  nothing  but  hu- 
man heads  anywhere  visible.  As  we  walked  on, 
we.  were  overtaken  by  the  picadors,  riding  home  to 
spend  the  evening  in  the  carousal  of  the  tavern. 
Se villa  had  managed,  with  his  usual  address,  so  to 
protect  his  horse,  as  to  be  able  to  ride  him  out  of 
the  amphitheatre,  by  the  aid  of  a  little  tow  stuffed 
in  his  wounds,  like  shot-plugs  in  a  sinking  vessel, 
at  the  end  of  an  engagement ;  the  beast  thus 
brought  away  alive  becoming  his  own,  by  the  rules 
of  the  arena.  To  our  no  small  astonishment,  too, 
old  Bernardo  Botella,  the  picador  whom  we  had 
supposed  beyond  tHe  reach  of  either  leech  or  shri- 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  285 

ving  chaplain,  to  administer  the  extreme  unction,  and 
bid  him  God-speed  on  his  journey  to  heaven,  now 
came  riding  along,  though  pale,  dusty,  and  down 
in  the  mouth.  He  was,  doubtless,  purposing  to 
take  a  hint  from  his  own  name,  and  seek  cofnfort 
and  solace  for  his  bruised,  body  in  something  else 
besides  that  balsam  of  Fierabras,  which  Don  Quix- 
ote used  as  a  remedy  for  every  disorder.  I  could 
not  help  thinking,  as  I  recollected  the  tvay  in  which 
he  fell  under  the  horse,  and  the  lifeless  condition 
in  which  he  was  dragged  away,  that  a  cat  is  not 
the  only  animal  which  has  nine  lives,  and  that 
a  bullfighter  is  scarce  less  well  provided. 


/  * 


286  SPAIN    REVISITED. 


CHAPTER   XVI  I. 

."  THE  CARNIVAL. 

Masquerades — La  Vida  Tunantesca — Poverty  and  Extravagance — 
Casa  de  Abrantes — Ecarte — Love — Dancing  and  Flirtation — Sleep 
— Morning— The  Fainting  Madrilena— The  Street — Lent— Cheap 
Pleasure — Royal  and  Republican  Canal-Diggers — Feast  on  the 
Manzanares — Burial  of  the  Sardinia. 

During  the  carnival,  there  were  a  few  balls  in 
private'  houses,  which  were  very  much  like  the 
same  thing  anywhere  else.  The  masquerade-balls 
in  public  succeeded  each  other  rapidly,  and  were 
held  at  various  prices,  to  suit  the  convenience 
of  the  em.ptiest  purse ;  in  large  rooms,  decorated 
with  an  attempt  at  elegance,  at  the  different  thea- 
tres or  coffee-houses  4  and  in  humbler  places  in  the 
poor  and  remote  barriers.  Towards  the  close  of 
the  carnival,  masquerading  became  the  occupation 
of  the  whole  capital,  and-the.,streets  were  thronged 
from  twilight '  to  sunrise,  with  guitar-strumming, 
singing,  and  masquerading  groups,  who  were  not 
unfrequently  set  upon  by  jrobbers  in  the  midst  of 
their  merriment,  and  stripped  of  their  partycoloured 
and  gay  plumage,  which  furnished  valuable  plun- 
der to  th6  freebooters,  at  a  time  when  such  articles 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  287 

were  at  a  premium.  Many  a  Greek  and  Roman 
soldier  thus  tamely  allowed  himself  to  be  despoiled 
of  his  armom*,  and  unbelieving  Moors  were  glad  to 
cross  themselves,  and  beg  for  mercy  in  the  name 
of  the  .Virgin.  .  •  ■    .. . 

Perhaps  the  most  amusing  group  which  I  saw 
during  the  carnival  was  formed  by  a  party  of  poor 
students,  who  had  strayed  from  Valladolid  or  Sal- 
amanca, to  pass  the  season  of  festivity,  more  joy- 
ously in  the  capital,  but  who,  being,  poor  in  pocket, 
were  forced  to  resort  to  mendicity  as  a  means  of 
enriching  thems'elves,  and  procuring  funds  for  the 
purchase  of  tickets  to  the  masquerade,  where  they 
always  appeared  in  their  own  costume,  in  itself  a 
sufHciently  grotesque  one.  They  gave,  however, 
something  besides  thanks  for  the  cuartos  that  were 
doled  to  them,  being  all  of  them  good  musicians,  or 
the  possessors  of  sonorous  voices  ;  and  thus,  while 
'some  played  on  flutes,  others  touched  their  guitars, 
and  sang  in  sweet  accompaniment  of  each  other, 
pausing  under  a  balcony,  where  they  w.ere  fortu- 
nate enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  its  female 
occupant,  and  introducing  ingeniously  into  their 
song  some  impromptu,  in  praise  of  the  beauty  of 
the  inmate,  which,  if  it  had  the  effect, of  suffusing 
her  cheeks  with  blushes,  also  brought  down  the  re- 
turn of  some  slight  .contribution. 


288  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

I  chanced  to  see  these  youths,  several  of  whom 
were  handsome,  though  all  were  ragged,  one  day 
from  the  balcony  of  an  artist  of  distinction,  with 
whom  I  had  made  acquaintance;  at  the  adjoining 
window  were  a  coUple  of  handsome  women,  whose 
praises  they  were  singing ;  one  of  the  party  was 
holding  his  tattered  hat,  to  receive  the  recompens- 
ing coppers,  while,  at  the  other  side  of  the  street, 
a  youth,  with  a  singularly  beautiful  countenance, 
was  kneeling,  with  quite  as  much  of  the  devotion 
of  love  as  of  the  humility  of  a  mercenary  suppliant, 
in  the  path  of  a  graceful  and  gliding  Andalusian, 
well  known  to  every  frequenter  of  the  Prado,  who 
was  just  sallying  forth  in  search  of  adventures,  like 
a  privateer  beginning  its  cruise.  The  whole  group 
appeared  most  picturesque  to  both  of  us  ;  and  the 
painter,  who  was  not  too  familiar  with  the  sight  to 
be  unfitted  to  appreciate  its  picturesque  peculiarity, 
made,  in  a  few  minutes,  a  masterly  sketch  of  it, 
which  he  was  kind  enough  to  give  to  me,  ajid  an 
engraving  "from  which  forms  the  vignette  to  this 
volume.  ■    •  •  » 

During  the  carnival,  it  gave  rise  to  many  singu- 
lar reflections  in  my  mind,  to  contrast  the  display 
of  luxury  which  Madrid'  then  presented,  with  the 
general  poverty  of  the  provinces,  and  with  the  idle, 
unemployed  character  of  its  own  population.     In 


SPAIN  REVISITED,  289 

no  place,  perhaps,  is  the  taste  for  show  and  out- 
ward display  kept  up  so  entirely  at  the  expense  of 
domestic  comfort.  Many  poor  nobles,  with  the 
most  insignificant  income,  the, mere  tithe  of  what 
industry  might  procure  them,  if  their  pride  per- 
mitted them  to  exercise  it,  ride  about  in  antique 
carriages,  drawn  by  starved  mules,  driven  by  an 
equally  starved  postillion,  who,  at  home,  if  their 
wretched  habitation  is  worthy  of  the  name,  suffer 
the  greatest  inconveniences  from  day  to  day.  Many 
famihes,  too,  of  poor  placemen,  expecting  preten- 
dientes,  and  half-pay  officers,  remain  starving  from 
cold,  and  the  want  of  a  sufficient  and  whole- 
some diet,  throughout  the  year,  to  appear  well- 
dressed  at  the  paseo,  and  trick  out  in  the  gay  garb 
of  an  Asturiana  the  nurse,  who  at  home  is  the 
maid  of  all  works,  while  the  child  which  she  car- 
ries is  doomed  to  be  dwarfed,  to  the  end  of  its 
days,  for  the  want  of  a  healthy  nourishment.  When 
I  saw,  indeed,  such  crowds  of  gay  and  well-dressed 
people  thronging  to  the  masquerades,  I  could  not  but 
feel  melancholy  at  the  misery  which  many  of  them 
were  preparing  for  themselves,  and  at  the  reflec- 
tion that  they  were  too  often  swallowing,  in  a  sin- 
gle gilded  mouthful,  the  food  which  should  have 
sustained  them  for  many  days.  '  ,      ' 

Nevertheless,  the  ball  which  concluded  the  car- 
VOL.  I. — N  25 


290  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

nival  was  such  a  brilliant  one,  that  it  would  have 
required  much  self-denial  in  any  one  who  could 
get  a  ticket,  to  remain  away.  That  night,  there 
were  no  less  than  twenty  public  masquerades  in 
Madrid ;  but  that  of  the  Casa  de  Abrantes  brought 
together  no  less  than  fourteen  hundred  persons,  in- 
cluding, in  the  number,  all  the  rank  of  the  capital. 
A  private  ball'  had  been  given  the  same  night,  and 
the  nobility  availed  themselves  of  the  excuse,  to 
repair,  towards  one  o'clock,  to  the  public  one,  with- 
out masks,  and  glittering  with  diamonds.  The 
scene,  altogether,  was  brilliant  in  the  extreme,  and 
I  think  I  never,  on  any  other  occasion  in  Spain, 
saw  so  many  beautiful  women.  The  dresses,  too, 
representing  the  various  picturesque  costumes  of 
the  Peninsula,  were  extremely  beautiful,  and  the 
dancers  moved  to  a  charming  music,  with  a  seduc- 
tive grace  which  was  wholly  Spanish.  The  house 
where  this  ball  was  given  was  the  magnificent  hotel 
of  some  rich  nobleman,  the  grandee,  I  believe, 
whose  name  it  bore.  The  whole  suite  of  rooms  was 
thrown  open  and  brilliantly  lighted,  so  that  there 
was  abundant  space,  even  for  so  vast  a  crowd  as 
was  there  assembled.  The  furniture  all  remained, 
and  Ottomans,  fauteuils,  pictures,  and  glasses,  were 
scattered  about,  to  accommodate  the  person  and 
please  the  eye.     In  one  room  gan^bling  was  exten- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  291 

sively  carried  on,  by  the  aid  of  monte  and  ecarte. 
I  happened  to  approach  the  ecarte  table,  where  one 
person,  who  had  won  for  himself  and  his  backers 
a  large  sum  of  money,  had  still  possession  of  his 
seat,  having  passed  no  fewer  than  twelve  times. 
I  remained  to  look  on,  and  he  actually  continued  to 
win  six  times  longer.  "  Diez  y  ocho  veces !  Que  bar- 
haridad  /" — said  a  lean-looking  Spaniard,  who  had 
been  losing  his  money.  In  the  tocador,  or  toilet- 
room,  there  was  a  pairing  off  by  common  consent. 
The  conversation  between  the  parties  was  often 
most  earnest.  One  couple  had  their  faces  turned 
towards  each  other,  their  masks  half  averted,  and 
their  hands  clasped  together,  as  if  in  record  of  a 
promise.  Beside  the  seat  of  the  lady  was  a  little 
boy,  dressed  as  a  majo,  and  a  girl  of  eight,  attired 
as  a  female  warrior.  Perhaps  they  were  her  chil- 
dren ;  they  were  both  asleep  on  the  carpet.  In 
the  corner  sat  a  Roman  soldier  in  a  deep  sleep. 
He  remained  in  that  situation  many  hours.  Hav- 
ing never  yet  been  able  to  remain  to  the  end  of  one 
of  these  balls,  and  being  determined  to  do  so  on 
this  occasion,  I  took  courage  at  the  example  of  the 
Roman  soldier,  and,  throwing  myself  back  in  a 
musing  atittude  in  a  fauteuil,  so  as  to  appear  lost 
in  contemplation,  soon  went  to  sleep.  It  was  an 
abortive  slumber,  however,  interrupted  by  the  noise 

N  2 


292  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

of  the  distant  music,  the  chattering  of  so  many 
voices  of  people  uttering  comphraents,  or  engaged 
in  flirtation.  Besides,  the  supper-room  was  not 
far  oif,  and  the  exhausted  dancers  were  recruiting 
their  powers,  with  an  earnestness  very  much  en- 
hanced by  the  idea  that  Lent  had  already  com- 
menced, and  they  must  say  farewell  to  flesh  for  a 
season. 

Towards  seven  in  the  morning,  the  throng  had 
scarcely  diminished  in  any  perceptible  degree.  The 
dancing  went  on  with  unabated  animation,  and  the 
figure  which  designated  the  character,  still  an- 
nounced the  same  succession  of  waltz,  gallop, 
quadrille,  and  mazourka.  In  vain  did  I  look  for 
the  signal  for  that  griega,  which  I  had  been  told 
completed  all  these  entertainments,  and  whichj  from 
its  long  duration,  sufficed  to  weary  the  most  invet- 
erate votaries.  Though  the  light  of  day  was 
breaking  in  by  a  thousand  cracks  or  crevices,  and 
mingling  oddly  with  the  blaze  of  the  chandeliers, 
the  sport  still  went  on.  Giving  up  my  project, 
and  half  doubting  whether  the  entertainment  were 
to  have  any  end,  I  turned  now  to  escape.  The 
shutters  had  been  opened  in  the  supper-room,  and 
it  was  broad  day  there,  although  the  lights  still 
continued  to  burn.  The  servants  were  feasting  on 
t)roken  fragments  of  the  repast,  while  a  soldier  on 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  293 

duty  at  the  entrance  had  made  favour,  and  was  per- 
mitted to  partake.  In  passing  to  the  stairway,  I 
found  a  crowd  collected  about  a  beautiful  young 
girl,  who  had  fainted.  This  is  a  most  extraordinary 
circumstance  in  Spain,  where  the  art  of  swooning 
appropriately  is  not  understood.  No  one  knew 
what  would  be  good  for  her ;  some  proposed  water, 
and  some  wine ;  a  foreigner  suggested  the  idea 
that  fresh  air  might  help  her,  but  this  was  rejected 
as  dangerous  by  those  who  clustered  round.  When, 
at  length,  she  recovered,  her  companions  did  not 
think  of  removing  her,  as  they  had  sundry  engage- 
ments, and  the  funcion  was  not  yet  over. 

In  the  streets,  the  sun  was  up  and  shining 
brightly.  Peasants  from  the  country  were  wend- 
ing their  way,  with  laden  beasts,  to  the  market- 
place, and  their  fresh,  honest,  unsophisticated  air, 
furnished  a  keen  and  cutting  reproof  to  the  jaded 
masquerader,  stealing  home  like  a  culprit  who 
had  been  spending  the  night  in  evil  deeds,  to  hide 
himself  from  the  light  of  that  sun  whose  diurnal 
visit  and  departure  had  been  ail-wisely  regulated, 
to  mark  the  alternation  of  labour  and  repose. 

Although  the  carnival  had  already  terminated, 

according  to  the  rules  of  the  church,  the  people  of 

Madrid  still  trespassed  6n  the  sacred   season  of 

Lent,  observing  the  first  day  of  it,  according  to  im- 

25 


294  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

memorial  usage,  as  a  festival.  It  is  the  custom  in 
Madrid  for  all  the  lower  classes  to  repair,  on  the 
first  day  of  Lent,  to  the  banks  of  the  Manzanares, 
to  feast,  dance,  and  make  merry  in  the  open  air; 
and,  for  the  higher  classes,  to  ride  to  the  same  spot 
in  their  carriages,  for  the  purpose  of  looking  on.  I 
bent  my  steps  in  that  direction,  towards  three 
o'clock,  and  found  the  whole  road,  from  the  Gate 
of  Atocha  to  the  canal,  filled  with  idle  people. 
For  the  want  of  some  better  amusement,  a  party 
of  soldiers  and  other  tatterdemalions  were  whiling 
away  the  time,  in  an  effort  to  throw  stones  into  the 
hollow  of  an  aged  tree.  The  success  or  failure  of 
an  attempt,  furnished  to  these  easily  diverted  indi- 
viduals the  means  of  excitement. 

We  are  told  that  the  project  of  the  Canal  of 
Manzanares  was  conceived  by  some  brilliant  and 
precocious  Spaniard,  as  early  as  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  It  has  been  gradually  brought 
to  its  present  state  of  perfection  by  the  efforts  of 
different  monarchs,  and  is  now  navigable  for  a  dis- 
tance of  two  leagues.  Ferdinand  the  Desired — 
"Queesta  en  Gloria — who  is  now  in  heaven,  "that 
is,  if  we  may  believe  his  wife  and  others,  who  say 
so  whenever  they  Speak  of  him — undertook  the 
bold  design  of  adding  to  it  what  is  called  the.  Em- 
barcadero,  and,  accordingly,  in  a  space  of  time  very 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  295 

little  greater  than  the  State  of  New-York  required 
to  join  Lake  Erie  to  the  Atlantic,  actually  com- 
pleted a  beautiful  and  spacious  landing-place,  con- 
venient lodges  for  the  boatmen  who  have  the  care 
of  the  royal  barge,  and  the  very  necessary  Catholic 
and  Christian  appendage  of  a  parochial  chapel,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  sailors'  souls. 

I  was  quite  amazed  at  the  gay  spectacle  which 
the  banks  of  the  Manzanares,  and  of  the  canal, 
which  runs  parallel  to  it,  presented.  Groups  of 
people  were  everywhere  scattered  about,  formed 
into  little  family  circles,  collected  about  their  pro- 
visions, which  had  been  removed  from  the  baskets 
and  spread  upon  the  turf.  Although,  when  I  had 
seen  the  crowd  toiling  along  the  road  to  the  river, 
under  the  weight  of  their  dinner,  the  very  natural 
idea  occurred  to  me,  how  much  easier,  mechani- 
cally speaking,  it  would  have  been  for  them  to 
have  carried  it  in  the  natural  conveyance  with 
which  each  was  provided ;  yet,  when  I  now  saw 
these  picturesque  little  family  groups  scattered 
about  on  the  grass,  partaking  in  the  open  air  of  their 
simple  luxuries,  and,  as  they  sat  in  a  circle,  passing 
the  waning  wine-skin  from  mouth  to  mouth,  I 
felt  less  disposed  to  wonder  at  their  departure  from 
strict  utility  and  philosophical  reasonableness.  In 
fiome  of  the  parties,  too,  there  was  an  occasional 


296  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

youth,  who  seemed,  from  the  interchange  of  punc- 
tilious courtesy  which  was  going  on,  to  be  an  in- 
vited guest.  He  was,  doubtless,  a  lover  of  the 
damsel  seated  beside  him,  and  who,  not  being 
permitted,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  to  enter 
the  house,  or  get  any  farther  than  the  grating  of 
the  balcony,  seemed  now  fully  to  appreciate  the 
extent  of  his  bliss.  As  the  feast  went  on  and  was 
concluded,  the  fragments,  not  having  been  extraor- 
dinarily augmented,  were  easily  disposed  of  in  the 
baskets,  and  songs,  the  tinkling  of  the  guitar,  and 
the  light  fandango,  animated  the  banks  of  the  Man- 
zanares.  Meanwhile,  the  sellers  of  oranges,  chest- 
nuts, and  the  clamorous  watermen,  mingled  in 
the  throng,  kept  up  the  customary  din,  while  the  gay 
uniforms  of  the  military,  who,  in  despotic  countries, 
mingle  in  all  the  sports  of  the  poor,  added  greatly, 
as  they  moved  among  the  trees,  to  the  picturesque 
gayety  of  the  scene.  » 

Having  an  engagement,  I  could  not  remain  to 
witness  a  very  curious  celebration  peculiar  to  this 
sport  in  Madrid.  This  was  the  ceremonious  bur- 
ial of  a  little  fish  called  a  Sardinia.  It  is  per- 
formed with  much  pomp,  by  vagabonds  curiously 
tricked  out  for  the  occasion,  who  imitate  the  cere- 
monial of  the  church,  chant  a  nasal  parody  on  the 
mass,  and  evincing,  in  the  strongest  manner,  their 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  297 

distaste  for  the  piscatory  nourishment  which  is  as- 
signed to  the  season,  thus  grossly  caricature  a 
rehgion  in  whose  dogmas  they  yet  devoutly  believe, 
and  to  whose  sway  they  yield  unmeasured  submis- 
sion. ■  -  ■        ■  • 

n3 


t. 


298  SPAIN  REVISITED. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

PRISON  OF  THE  COURT. 

Lent— Devotion— A  Modem  Miracle — Prison  of  the  Court— Inmates 
— Don  Luis  de  Lemos— Don  Andres  de  Guevara — A  Murderer — 
Imprisoned  Family — A'Contented  Mother— Distracted  Mother — 
Common  Prison — Manolas — A  Female  Combat — The  Dungeons. 

I  CANNOT  honestly  s&y  that  I  was  sorry  when 
the  carnival,  with  its  gayeties,  was  over.  On  the 
contrary,  I  was  rejoiced  to  escape  from  the  whole 
system  of  crowded  balls,  confined  theatres,  where 
the  air  was  heated  and  rendered  impure  by  the 
lamps,  or  sent  back  upon  me  from  the  smoky 
lungs  of  so  many  votaries  of  tobacco ;  where  the 
light  was  offensive  to  the  eye,  and  the  views  of 
life  exhibited  upon  the  stage,  except  in  the  sainete, 
were  meretricious  and  unnatural ;  from  late  hours, 
from  dissipation,  in  short,  in  all  its  forms,  and  once 
more  to  fall  quietly  back  into  the  sober  and  even 
tenour  of  existence,  and  revel  in  the  supreme  good 
of  possessing  my  soul  in  quietness. 

I  must  say,  that  to  me  masses  furnished  a  very 
agreeable  substitute  for  masquerades.  The  deeply 
resounding  peals  of  the  organ,  the  soft  and  sober 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  299 

tones  of  bassoons  and  viols,  the  solemn  harmony 
of  human  voices  proceeding  from  the  unseen  re- 
cesses of  the  choir,  were  to  me  an  acceptable  ex- 
change for  the  flippant  sprightliness  of  the  gallop 
and  the  mazourka;  nor  was  there  any  thing  lost  in 
passing  from  the  gaudy  mirrors,  which  reflected 
the  already  offensive  glare  of  so  many  lamps,  to 
the  sober  twilight,  which  revealed  and  mellowed  a 
Crucifixion  of  Esparioleto,  or  an  Assumption  of  Mu- 
rillo.     Often,  as  I  leaned  against  a  stone  column 
sustaining  the  lofty  dome  of  some  noble  temple, 
my  soul  dissolved  by  feelings  of  tenderness,  and  a 
mysterious  and  unexplained  sentiment  of  religion 
stirring  within  me,  I  could  not  help  thinking  how 
far  more  attractive  were  the  feftiales  who  strewed 
the  pavement  around  me,  as  they  sat  in  no  cush- 
ioned pews,  but  in  all  the  humihty  which  our  re- 
ligion enjoins,  dressed  in  the  sober  black  of  their 
mantilla  and  basquinia,  their  pale  countenances,  and 
full  languid  eyes,  so  entirely  in  harmony  with  the 
scene,  than  when  tricked  out  so  shortly  before,  in 
meretricious  and   partycoloured  tinse],  and  aban- 
doned to  a  hectic  gayety.     It  is  certainly  much 
easier  to  fall  in  love  in  church  than  in  a  ball-room, 
and  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  which  tenderness  excites, 
when  no  disturbing  circumstance  occurs  to  distort 
with  care  or  vexation  the  countenance  of  her  you 


300  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

gaze  upon,  where  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  somie 
thing  when  you  have  nothing  to  -say,  and  good- 
breeding  demands  no  laborious  effort  to  be  agree- 
able. 

But  all  this  has  nothing  to  do  with  my  purpose, 
which  was  to  say,  that  when  the  carnival  was  over 
in  Madrid,  and  the  Sardinia  buried,  the  good  people 
of  that  metropolis  turned,  with  no  less  energy,  to 
the  exercise  of  the  religious  observances  which 
their  faith  enjoins,  than  they  had  hitherto  exhibited 
in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure.  Psalms,  prayers,  and 
alms-giving,  confession  and  communion,  became 
the  business  of  the  day ;  the  offices  of  the  Rosary, 
the  Passion,  and  the  Crown  of  Thorns,  were  all 
observed,  the  stations  duly  followed,  and  the  privi- 
leged altars  visited,  the  flesh  resisted,  and  the 
devil  wrestled  with.  No  art,  in  fact,  by  which 
heaven  might  be  conciliated,  and  the  indulgences 
promised  by  the  church  gained,  was  neglected  by 
the  late  votaries  of  pleasure,  to  provide  spiritual 
comfort  for  their  souls,  and  redeem  the  sins  which 
they  had  either  meditated  or  committed. 

In  no  preceding  Lent  had  the  Spanish  church 
ever  been  more  in  earnest  than  in  this.  The  car- 
nival had  been  a  harvest-time  for  the  liberal  gov- 
ernment of  the  day,  which  attracted  to  itself  the 
affections  of  the  light-heeled  and  laughter-loving 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  301 

portion  of  the  community,  by  tolerating  amuse- 
ments unknown  in  the  days  of  despotism.  The 
Lent  was,  in  turn,  the  hay-making  season  for  the 
priests  and  friars,  who,  notwithstanding  that  they 
were  expressly  and  publicly  cautioned  by  the  gov- 
ernment against  making  the  pulpit  and  the  confes- 
sional the  means  of  exciting  to  discontent,  yet 
managed,  by  innuendo  from  the  one,  and  of  course 
directly  through  the  other,  to  augment  the  strong 
feeling  which  already  existed,  among  a  majority  of 
the  people,  in  favour  of  their  darling  Don  Carlos. 
No  doubt  many  a  miracle,  too,  was  got  up  for  the 
occasion.  To  give  an  idea  how  these  things  are 
done  in  Spain,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  mention  one 
which  was  enacted  in  the  Escurial,  soon  after  the 
death  of  the  King.  Under  the  foundation  of  that 
magnificent  pile  is  the  Pantheon,  where  the  Span- 
ish kings  are  consigned  to  their  last  earthly  habi- 
tation. Soon  after  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  a  voice 
was  heard  echoing  from  the^  recesses  of  that  hall  of 
darkness  and  of  death,  calling  mournfully — "  Car- 
los !  Carlos  !  come  to  the  succour  dt  my  people  !" 
Any  one  acquainted  with  the  common  people  in 
Spain,  may  readily  conceive  how  troublesome  this 
voice  might  have  become  to  the  existing  govern- 
ment, had  it  continued  to  keep  itp  the  cry  of  "  Car- 
los !  Carlos  !"  The  privileges  of  the  convent,  and 

.26 


302  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

the  inviolability  of  its  sanctuary,  were  suddenly  in- 
vaded ;  a  search  was  made  in  the  haunted  chamber 
o-f  departed  grandeur,  and,  instead  of  proceeding 
from  the  mouldering  body  of  the  King,  which  had 
prematurely  fallen  to  pieces  on  the  eve  of  its  in- 
terment, the  sound  was  found  to  issue  from  within 
the  capacious  ribs  of  a  monk  of  St.  Jerome. 

I  often  went  to  the  evening  service  and  sermon 
in  the  Church  of  the  Happy  Event,  in  the  Gate  of 
the  Sun,  and  I  noticed  that  there  was  always  some- 
thing said  to  quicken  the  slumbering  loyalty  of  the 
initiated,  and  that  passages  of  Scripture  were  often 
introduced,  as  if  casually,  containing  the  word  king, 
covertly  designed  to  bring  to  their  mind  the  idea 
of  him  who  was  in  Portugal.  At  the  conclusion 
of  one  sermon,  the  priest  significantly  said,  "  My 
brethren,  let  us  pray  for  God's  aid,  through  the  in- 
tercession of  the  blessed  Virgin,  in  the  present  ne- 
cessities of  the  Church  and  State."  Which  might 
be  interpreted,  and  was  so  understood  by  every- 
body. Let  us  beseech  Him  to  confound  the  liberals, 
and  send  Carlos  to  reign  over  us. 

As,  however,  these  church  ceremonies,  though 
very  interesting  to  me,  and  very  edifying,  did 
not  fill  up  the  whole  of  my  leisure,  I  willingly  ac- 
ceded to  the  suggestion  of  a  colonel  of  artillery, 
whose  acquaintance  I  had  formed,  to  visit,  in  his 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  303 

company,  the  different  prisons  and  benevolent  es- 
taDlishments  of  the  capital.  On  his  application, 
the  Minister  of  Fomento  very  liberally  furnished 
us  with  an  order  for  our  admittance  nito  every 
public  establishment  in  Madrid.  The  principal 
prison,  called  the  Cafcel  de  Corte,  fir^t  attracted 
our  attention.  We  were  received  at  the  door  by 
the  Alcayde  Interino,  who,  on  the  simple  exhibition 
of  the  large  seal  of  office  attached  to  the  envelope 
of  the  order,  immediately  admitted  us,  as  our  visit 
had  been  announced  to  him  by  a  separate  com- 
munication. 

We  found  the  building  to  consist  of  an  extensive 
quadrangle,  surrounding  a  courtyard.  Corridors 
corresponding  to  the  different  stories  effected  the 
communications  between  the. different  parts  of  the 
building,  which  was. divided,  for  the  most  part,  into 
habitations  more  or  less  large,  where  such  as  had 
the  means  of  paying  a  rent  to  the  jailer,  of  from  a 
quarter  to  half  a  dollar  or  more  daily,  were  lodged, 
according  to  their  commodiousness.  Some  prison- 
ers who  did  not  pay  were  also  confined  here,  but 
very  closely  crowded ;  the  mass,  however,  of  poor 
criminals,  were  confined  together  in  large  subter- 
ranean dungeons,  beneath  the  foundations  of  the 
building,  the  entrances  being  from  the  courtyard 
below.  . 


304  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

We  began  with  the  prisons  above,  and  the  Al- 
cayde,  preceded  by  a  turnkey,  opened,  one  by  one, 
each  apartment  for  our  inspection.  As  each  door 
was  thrown  open,  the  unhappy  inmates,  not  know 
ingwhat  new  circumstance  of  joy  or  sorrow  await 
.ed  them,  would  rouse  themselves  fi-om  the  beds 
upon  which  they  were  stretched,  either  from  the 
want  of  space  to  move  .  about,  for  frequently  a 
dozen  persons  were  confined  together  in  an  apart- 
ment nbt  more  than  as  many  feet  square,  or  from 
an  effort  to  escape  from  the  wearisome  misery  of 
their  situation,  in  the  forgetfulness  of  sleep.  Our 
visit  occasioned  much  interest  among  ibem.  They 
all  showed  a  disposition  to  expose  their  cases  to 
us,  and  .prove  the  perfect  innocence  to  which  each 
laid  claim.  Even  when  tald  that  we  were  vested 
with  no  powers  to  inquire  into  or  alleviate  their 
condition,  but  that  our  visit  was  made  for  the  sim- 
ple gratification  of  our  own  curiosity,  they  did  not 
take  offence  at  the  impertinent  heartlessness  of 
finding  distraction  in  the  contemplation  of  their 
misery,  but  seemed  to  derive  a  real  pleasure  from 
seeing  the  faces  of  others  than  their  keepers,  and 
coming  so  near  to  liberty,  as  to  find  themselves 
face  to  face  with  those  who  enjoyed  it.  The  in- 
crease of  happiness  which  we  derived  from  com- 
paring  our.  own  condition  with   theirs,  was,   of 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  305 

course,  attended  in  their  case  with  the  inverse  feel- 
ing of  increased  despondency.  This,  however, 
did  not,  perhaps,  become  uppermost  in  their 
thoughts  until  after  we  had  left,  for  they  seemed 
in  almost  every  case  delighted  to  see  us. 

It  were  a  vain  task  to  attempt  narrating  all  the 
sad  stories  of  individual  wrongs  and  calamities 
which  were  related  to  us  by  the  unhappy  suffer- 
ers, or  to  describe  all  the  scenes  of  sorrow  wiiich 
the  opening  of  almost  every  door  disclosed.  Some 
of  the  facts,. however,  may  be  curious  to  my  coun- 
trymen, in  showing  them  the  state  of  society  in 
Spain,  the  rights  enjoyed  by  individuals,  and  the 
mode  in  which  justice  is  exercised ;  and  useful  to 
them  in  aiding  them  to  appreciate,  by  comparison, 
the  inestimable  blessings  of  those  institutions  which 
the  virtue  of  their  forefathers  has  bequeathed  to 
them. 

Among  the  first  persons  whom  we  noticed,  was 
a  very  large,  noble-looking  individual,  by  the  name 
of  Don  Luis  de  Lemos,  who  had  previously  been 
Corregidor  of  Madrid.  Hk  figure  was  very  com- 
manding, though  attenuated  by  long  confinement; 
and  his  face,  although  rendered  pale  and  colourless 
by  the  same  cause,  and  wrinkled  by  the  endurance 
of  grief  and  indignation,  still  preserved  traces  of 
intelligence  and  spirituality.     This  person,  when 

26* 


306  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

his  prison  door  was  opened,  came  out  into  the  cor- 
ridor, and  continued  with  us  until  we  left  that  part 
of  the  prison.  He  said  he  had  been  imprisoned 
more  than  a  year  before,  on  the  accusation  of  a 
single  delator,  ladron,  traidor,- villano ;  and  his 
countenance,  as  he  repeated  these  expressive  epi- 
thets, assumed  an  air  of  sternness  and  ferocity. 
He  was  accused  of  complicity  in  the  conspiracy 
to  put  Carlos  on  the  throne,  and  no  doubt  with 
truth,  for  his  eye  was  restless  and  unquiet,  and  his 
air  that  of  an  intriguer  and  conspirator.  At  all 
events,  the  charge  was  proved  upon  his  trial,  and 
he  was  sentenced  to  a  banishment  of  twenty-five 
years,  in  the  Island  of  Teneriffe.  He  could  not 
tell  when  the  sentence  would  be  carried  into  effect, 
but  said,  with  caustic  and  bitter  humour,  that  it 
would  probably  not  take  place  until  a  fleet  of  ten 
sail  of  the  Hne  could  be  collected  to  convoy  him. 
He  alluded  to  the  matter  of  opinion  which  divided 
Spain,  and  had  brought  his  present  misfortune  upon 
him,  by  saying,  that  there  had  once  been  a  war  in 
Sweden  which  lasted  twenty-five  years,  between 
those  who  wore  hats,  and  those  who  preferred  cov- 
ering their  heads  with  caps.  As  we  were  leaving 
his  part  of  the  prison,  he  begged  me  to  take  nothing 
away  from  Spain  with  me,  but  a  plan  of  that  prison 
with  which  their  holy  Catholic  religion  had  provided 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  307 

them — "  Que  nuestra  religion  Catolica  nos  dis- 
fongar 

On  opening   the  door  of  one  of  the    smallest 
apartments,  a  single  individual  was  discovered  in 
the  obscurity  of  the  corner,  seated  on  a  filthy  bed 
laid  on  the  brick  floor.     He  had  a  cloth  cap  on  his 
head,  and  his  face  was  half  concealed  by  his  hand, 
as  he  leaned  upon  it,  in  an  attitude  of  brooding  mel- 
ancholy.    On   discovering  that   we  were  not  his 
customary  visiters,  and  that  my  companion  was  an 
officer  of  rank,  he  rose  at  once,  letting  his  cloak 
fall  behind  him.     We  now  saw,  by  the  soiled  and 
tattered  uniform  which  he  wore,  that  he  was  an 
officer  in  the  army,  of  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colo- 
nel.    He  had  been  confined  a  year ;  his  face  was 
sallow  and  care-worn,  his  eyes  sunken,  and  his 
beard  and  hair  neglected.     He  was  a  nobleman, 
evidently  accustomed  to  luxury,  and  wholly  unused 
to  shift  for  himself.     He  was  diminutive  in  size, 
with  small  and  delicate  hands  and  feet,  and  exactly 
of  the  same  style  with  the  individuals  of  that  class 
whom  we  had  seen  in  their  habitual  post  of  idle- 
ness, as  we  traversed  the  Gate  of  the  Sun.     Yet 
what  a  contrast  between  their  haughty  bearing  and 
his  humility.     The  jailer  told  us,  after  we  had  left 
him,  that  he  was  in  prison  for  being  an  outrageous 
royalist,  and  devoted  to  the  succession  of  Carlos. 


308  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

His  own  story,  however,  was  very  different.  We 
saw  him  a  few  minutes  afterward,  as  we  were 
leaving  the  prison,  and  he  put  into  the  hands  of  my 
companion  a  letter,  which  he  begged  him,  in  a 
whisper,  to  read  when  he  should  be  without  the 
prison.  It  stated,  that  he  had  been  imprisoned  a 
year  before,  as  a  decided  defender  of  Dona  Isabel, 
and  of  her  august  mother  Christina,  at  the  time 
when  Zea  triumphed  over  the  ultra  liberals,  and 
procured  the  banishment  of  the  Dukes  of  San  Lo- 
renzo and  San  Carlos.  He  said  that  he  was  now 
detained  entirely  through  a  mistake ;  that  his  calls 
for  liberation  or  for  trial  were  unheeded ;  that  he 
was  without  pay  or  succour  of  any  sort;  and  that 
he  must  soon  perish.  He  stated  that  he  had  not 
been  able  to  tell  us  this  by  words,  because  the 
other  prisoners  present  were  all  Carlists,  and  his 
opposite  opinions  had  already  been  the  cause  of 
his  suffering  abuse  and  cruel  persecution  at  their 
hands.  His  letter  was  unfinished  when  we  hap- 
pened to  pass,  the  sentence  with  which  it  termi- 
nated being  incomplete  ;  it  bore,  however,  the  aris- 
tocratic name,  familiar  in  the  annals  and  chronicles 
of  Spain's  better  days,  of  Andres  Rafaele  Ladron 
de  Guevara.  •..'■• 

Among  the  undistinguished  crowd  of  humbler 
unfortunates,  the  cases  of  a  few  fixed  themselves 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  309 

deeply  in  my  memory.     One  young  man,  of  rather 
prepossessing  appearance,  said  that  he  was  there 
for  being  poor,  meaning,  that  the  shght  offence 
which  he  had  committed  would  not  have  brought 
him  there,  had  he  possessed  the  means  of  bribing 
the  alguazils — "  con  muchos  talegos  ya  no  estaria 
preso  r  Another  young  man  was  imprisoned,  that 
his  evidence  might  be  taken  as  a  witness  in  the 
case  of  a  rina,  or  duel  with  knives,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  spectator.     One  lad  of  ten  was  confined, 
because  some   money  had  been  stolen  from  his 
master,  and  he  was  suspected  of  being  the  thief; 
and   another    of  fourteen  had  accidentally  killed 
another  boy  in  the  street,  by  throwing  a  stone  ;  he 
was  a  handsome  and  amiable-looking  lad,  but  his 
features  were  beginning  to  harden.     In  the  same 
room  with  these  boys  were  five  ruffianly-looking 
fellows,  accused  of  highway  robbery  and  murder. 

In  approaching  a  particular  room,  we  were  told 
that  it  contained  a  murderer  of  very  aggravated 
stamp.  Julian  Ramos  was  the  man's  name.  He 
was  an  unusually  quiet  and  placid-looking  person, 
in  whose  face  Lavater  himself  would  have  found 
no  ferocious  expression.  We  asked  him'  why  he 
had  been  imprisoned  ;  he  answered,  that  he  had 
been  to  Portugal  to  see  how  affairs  went  there,  and 
had  been  taken  up  as  a  Carlist.     But,  said  my 


310  SPAIN  REVISITED, 

companion,  using  the  familiar  and  characteristic 
expression  of  the  country — "usted  habra  hecho 
alguna  muerte  ?"  He  smiled  good-humouredly,  and 
shrugged  assent.  Baffled  by  his  expression,  I 
could  not  help  saying  to  him — "  But  what  could 
induce  you  to  take  away  the  life  of  a  fellow-being  ?" 
His  answer  was — "  Una  riha  sobre  una  muger — 
a  quarrel  about  some  woman." — "And  who  .was 
the  unhappy  individual  ?" — "  Un  tal  Sebastian  Ro- 
jas — a  certain  Sebastian  Roxas."  As  he  answered 
our  inquiries,  he  was  preparing  a  cigar,  and  went 
through  the  whole  process  with  the  greatest  ex- 
actness and  calmnessL,  looking  now  at  us,  now  at 
his  work,  while,  throughout  the  narration,  a  placid 
and  self-satisfied  smile,  which  yet  had  in  it  nothing 
of  vanity,  affectation,  or  bravado,  and  which  was 
quite  involuntary,  played  about  his  countenance. 
This  circumstance,  and  others  that  came  to  my 
knowledge  in  Spain,  have  left  me  in  no  little  doubt, 
whether  the  thing  they  call  remorse,  the  worm 
which  is  said  never  to  die,  but  gnaw  on  for  ever, 
has  any  real  existence  in  the  construction  of  the 
human  character,  a  sort  of  law  of  talion,  which  na- 
ture has  instituted  within  us  for- her  own  protection. 
May  it  not  be  a  quality  which  civilization,  and  the 
cultivating  and  unfolding  of  our  sympathies  devel- 
op, or,  if  it  be  natural  to  us,  may  it  not  be  extin- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  311 

guished  in  a  vicious  state  of  society,  where  the  bad 
administration  of  bad  laws  tends  to  encourage  vice, 
and  render  depravity  triumphant.  In  Spain,  the 
only  effect  upon  the  murderer,  of  killing  one  man, 
is  to  make  him  desirous  of  killing  another. 

In  the  same  prison  with  this  individual,  was  a 
delicate  lad  of  fourteen,  who  was  accused  of  being 
engaged  in  the  conspiracy  to  murder  the  young 
Queen  and  her  mother.  He  had  been  found, -the 
day  before,  engaged  in  copying  some  seditious  pa- 
per in  the  palace,  where  his  father  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  offices.  The  poor  boy 
seemed  quite  unconscious  of  any  wrong,  and  quite 
satisfied  with  one  night  deprived  of  his-  liberty,  and 
passed  on  the  naked  pavement  in  such  company. 
In  another  room  we  saw  the  father  of  this  lad,  a 
respectable-looking  man,  in  the  uniform  of  his  sta- 
tion. He  complained  bitterly  of  the  hardship  of 
being  compromised  by  the  vicious  conduct  of  his 
son,  whose  offence  should  not  have  been  made  to 
bring  ruin  on  his  parents.  When,  soon  after,  I  saw 
the  mother,  her  language  was  very  different.  She 
said  that  her  son  had  forgotten  his  duty,  and  been 
led  astray  by  designing  men ;  but  he  was  a  good 
and  honest,  lad.  She  inquired  after  him  with  the 
tenderest  interest,  and  wanted  to  know  how  he  was 
situated,  and  the  character  of  his  companions.     I 


312  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

did  not  tell  her  that  he  was  in  the  same  prison  with 
Julian  Ramos,  and  Solorzano,  surnamed  the  Bird- 
catcher,  whom  I  soon  after  saw  led  from  that  same 
prison,  to  be  strangled  in  the  Square  of  Cebada. 
The  day  before,  had  seen  father,  mother,  and  child, 
assembled  round  their  humble  board,  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  their  home.  The  morrow  was  to  dawn 
upon  them  through  the  grated  windows  of  a  prison, 
where  the  wonted  companionship  of  each  other 
would  be  exchanged  for  that  of  thieves  and  mur- 
derers.   Such  are  the  vicissitudes  which  despotism, 

» 

whether  it  boldly  avows  itself,  or  claims  the  name 
of  liberalism,  reserves  for  the  victims  of  its  op- 
pression. 

The  spectacle  presented  in  those  apartments 
reserved  for  women,  was  most  heart-rending.  In- 
stead of  the  fortitude  bestowed  on  man,  to  enable 
him  to  bear  up  under  misfortune,  and  resist  the 
evils  of  life,  woman  is  created  with  mildness,  gen- 
tleness, and  a  disposition  to  lean  for  support  on 
man,  her  protector.  In  the  place  of  the  compressed 
lip,  the  contracted  brow,  the  clinched  hand,  the 
stern  silence,  and  whatever  evinces  the  effort  to 
conceal  misfortune,  and  resist  the  outward  expres-  . 
sion  of  grief,  here  was  nothing  but  sighs,  unre- 
strained tears,  and  all  that  indicates  a  relaxed  con- 
dition of  the  nerves,   a  prostration  of  mind  and 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  313 

body  beneath  the  pressure  of  overpowering  ca- 
lamity. < 

Each  one  hastened  to  tell  her  story  and  call  for 
our  sympathy.  Here,  too,  notwithstanding  what 
may  be  said  about  the  sex's  duplicity,  there  was 
less  effort  to  conceal  the  crime  which  each  -had 
committed.  One  old  woman  told  us,  that  she  had 
stolen  some  charcoal  to  cook  her  food,  being  in  a 
state  of  starvation,  and  without  mon^y.  Another 
was  in  prison  because  her  husband  had  killed  her 
own  mother.  Her  countenance  was  mild,  gentle^ 
and  expressive  of  melancholy  and  saint-like  resig- 
nation. Had  I  been  sitting  in  judghient  upon 
her,  I  would  have  acquitted  her  for  that  look.  I 
told  her  I  was  sure  she  could  ha:ve  had  no  com- 
plicity in  such  a  deed.  She  looked  at  me  with  an 
expression  of  gratitude,  which  could  not  have  been 
greater  had  I  presented,  her  with  her  pardon.  One 
young  woman  wept  bitterly,  telling  us,  between 
her  sobs,  that  she  had  absented  herself  from  the 
Jiou&e  of  her  mother,  who  had  caused  her  to  be  imr 
prisoned.  She  was  a  repentant  Magdalen,  the 
abandoned  victim  of  some  heartless  seducer.  An- 
other was  actually  detained  there,  to  give  her  evi-' 
dence  in  a  robbery  which  had  been  committed  on 
herself — "  Me  roharon  y  despues  me  frajeron  a 
qui."     Strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  were  two 

VOL.  I. — 0  27 


314  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

miserable  old  women  prisoners  for  political  offences ; 
one  accused  of  crying,  "  Viva  Carlos  QamtQ.r 
the  other,  of  attempting  to  seduce  two  young  offi- 
cers of  the  royal  body-guard  to  join  the  standard 
of  the  Curate  Merino.  In  this  prison  was  one 
character  which  was  quite  anomalous ;  a  young 
woman  of  twenty, 'large,  fine-looking,  with  a  good 
figure,  who,  with  her  husband,  had  been  imprisoned 
for  political  offences.  She  was  in  perfect  health, 
seemed  to  have  been  but  a  short  time  ail  inmate  of 
the  prison,  and  her  dress  was  scrupulously  neat, 
vsrhile,  far  from  sharing  the  despondency  of  her 
companions,,  she  seemed  full  of  good-humour,  and 
a, smile  of  cheerfulness  and  contentment  played 
about  her  mouth,  and  glowed  brightly  in  her  full 
black  eye.  I  could  not  account  for  this  discrep- 
ance, unless,  indeed,  the  fond  pressure  with  which 
she  embraced  the  child  which  she  was  then  nursing, 
might  have  explained  the  mystery.  The  maternal 
feeling,  perhaps,  absorbed  all  others.  Far  differ- 
ent was  the  manner  of  another,  the  wife  of  a  dier, 
who,  having  gone  one  day  to  Caramancheles,  in  her 
absence  her  husband  fell  into  a  vat,  and  was  taken 
out  dead,  upon  which  she  was  apprehended  on 
suspicion,  and  thrown  into  prison.  She  was  now 
iij'  an  iadvanced  state  of  pregnancy,  and  said  she 
had  five  children,  v^hom  she  had  not  been  allowed 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  315 

to  see.  As  we  turned  to  go  away,  she  rushed 
frantically  after  us,  caught  my  companion  by  the 
arm,  and  exclaimed,  with  all  the  mother  in  her  ac- 
cents— "  Oh,  bring  me  to  the  sight  of  my  children ! — 
Que  me  pongan  en  comuniQacion  cpn  mis  ninos  !" 
In  one  room  was  an  entire' family,  of  all  of  whom, 
except  one  middle-aged  man,  who  was  looking  out 
of  the  window,  we  were-'told,  the  imprisonment 
was  voluntary.  A  little  girl  of  ten  years  was  play- 
ing with  a  doll  in  the  corner,  and  endeavouring  to 
.make  it  sit  up  ;  while  the  mother  was  sewing,  ap- 
parently the  picture  of  contentment ;  her  husband 
and  her  child  were  near  her,  and  she  was  satisfied. 
It  was  with  no  trifling  revulsion  of  feeling  that  we 
passed  from  this  scene  of  suffering  virtue  to  a  vast 
hall,  in  which  was  assembled  a  disorderly  collec- 
tion, whose  profession  it  was  easy  to  conjecture. 
They  were  charged  with  being  scandalous,  riotous, 
with  having  fought  with  knives,  or  having  stabbed 
their  lovers.  Their  beds,  or  straw  mats,  were 
ranged  along  thewaljs  of  the  apartment.  Many 
of  them  were  engaged  in  eating  their  dinner  in 
parties  or  messes,  from  little  earthen  pipkins, 
which  they  at  once  left  as  we  entered,  to  ask 
us  if  we  were  the  commission.  Presently  they 
all  began  to  talk  together,  in  those  coarse.  Croaking 
voices,  which  one  hears  among  the  Manolas  ;  then 


316  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

they  asked  for  alms,  in  the  name  of  the  most  pure 
Virgin,  and,  as  we  went  away  without  giving  them 
aiiy^  sakited  us  with  curses  and  abusive  epithets, 
commending  us  to  the  care  of  the  evil  one. 

Perhaps  there  are  no  women  in  the  world  pos- 
sessing characters  more  strongly  marked  with  reck- 
less  crime,  than  those  of  the  lower' class  in  Madrid, 
known  by  the  name  of  Manolas.  Unheeded  by  the 
police,  and  abandoned  to  the  bloody  law  of  -their 
own  vindictive  passions,  the  barriers  in  which  they 
live  are  the  nightly  scenes  of  "violence  and  murder, 
and  the  only  intimation  which  justice  has  of  their 
crimes,  is  when  the  dead  bodies  of  the  murdered 
of  either  sex,  instead  of  being  concealed,  are  thrust 
out  into  the  street,  and  being  taken  up  in  the  morn- 
ing by  the  patrol,  are  exposed,  covered  with  wounds 
and  blood,  in  the  Place  of  the  Holy  Cross,  until 
claimed  for  burial  by  their  relations.  On  the  feast- 
days,  the  taverns  of  these  suburban  barriers  be- 
come the  scene  of  carousal.  Many  of  these  Ma- 
nolas, supported  by  lovers  who  are  attached  to 
them,  themselves  often  support  in  turn  other  lov- 
ers'to  whom  they  are  attached,  and  these,  again, 
may  still  have  their  distinct  prepossessions.  Hence 
the*  abundant  source  of  jealousy,  quarrels,  duels 
with  knives,  or  stealthy  assassination.  As  many 
of  these  women  habitually  carry  open  knives  thrust 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  317 

through  their  garters,  the  means  of  deahng  a  death- 
blow is  oyer  at  hand. 

I  shall  never  forget  a  scene  of  this  description, 
of  which  I  was  about  this  time  a  spectator,  in  the 
street  -of-  Alcala,  in   cohnpany  with   the   English 
Minister,  and  the  secretary  of  our  own  legation. 
A  very  pretty  Manola  was  sitting  kt-the-suriny  side 
of  the  street,  on  a  manta,  her- little  well-shod  foot 
and  swelling  ankle  projecting  from  beneath  a  some- 
what scanty  petticoat,  with  oranges  piled  beside 
her,  to  sell  to  the  passing  pedestrians,  whom  she 
intercepted  on  their  road  to  the  Prado.     She  was 
chanting  to  herself,  in  the  best  humour  in  the  world, 
some  passionate'  'couplets,  to  a  ,mohotonou's  love- 
lorn melody,  occasionally  ipausing  to  retort  some 
amorous  expression,  or  utter  some  pert  and  pithy 
proverb,  to   a  passing    acquaintance.      Presently 
came  by  another  Manola,  equally  scantily  gowned, 
.  and  with  a  foot  not  less  ijdy,  gliding  gracefully 
along,  with   her  mantilla  hanging  half  from   her 
shoulders,  her  arms  akimbo,  and  her  eye  glancing 
insidiously  on  €ither  side. ,  .When  she  came  to  the 
orange-seller,  she  uttered  a  passing  taunt,  that  in- 
dicated,some  low-lived  triumph  in  an  affair  of  love. 
The  demon  of  jealousy  seemed  in   an  instant  to 
awake  in  the  breast  of  the  insulted  woman.     She 
sprang  to  her  feet,  rushed  upon  her  insulter,  tore 

27* 


318  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

her  mantilla  from  her  neck  at  the  first  grasp,  and 
seized  her  by  the  hair  with  one  hand,  while  the 
other,  being  chnched,  struck  repeatedly  at  her  face 
and  bosom.  The  other  was  not  idle  ;  handfuls  of 
hair  were  scattered,  and  blood  streamed  from  their 
scarred  faces,  marked  with  the  prints  of  their  nails, 
until  the  orange-woman,  growing  frantic  at  the 
sight  of  blood,  stretched  down  to  her  garter  in 
search  of  a  weapon  more  suited  to  her  rage. 

At  this  moment,  the  chivalry  of  my  countryman, 
who  was  a  Southern  cavalier,  interposed  most 
opportunely,  and  prevented  more  deadly  conse- 
quences, while  the  other  belligerent  was  dragged 
away  by  no  .easy  effort,  and  with  no  slight  ac>- 
companying  trophy  of  hair,  in  the  opposite  direct 
tion.  Being  the  attacked  party,  and  apparently  the 
most  placable,  she  was  now  abandoned ;  But  the 
very  first  use  she  made  of  her  liberty,  was  to  rob 
a  tottering  old  placeman,  in  a  cocked  hat,  of  the 
walking-cane  with  which  he  stayed  his  steps  in 
his  customary  walk  to  the  Prado,  and,  ere  she 
could  be  again  arrested,  she  dealt  her  antagonist, 
who  was  still  tight  bound  in  the  embrace  of  my 
chivalrous  countryman,  some  blows  over  the  head, 
which  made  the  welkin  ring  again,  and  called  viv- 
idly to  my  mind  the  discipline  which  I  had  often 
seen  dispensed  by  Punch  to  Judy..    JNJeyer  did 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  319 

combatants  part  with  deadlier  fury,  or  fiercer  men- 
aces of  future  revenge.  That  one  of  them  paid 
with  her  life's  blood  this  unliquidated  account  of 
vengeance,  is  more  than  possible,  though  I  never 
saw  or  heard  of  either  afterward.  ,   •• 

The  apartments  which, we  had  hitherto  visited, 
were,  however,  palaces  of  comfort,  compared  to 
the  common  prison  in  the  dungeons  below.     In 
the  courtyard  adjoining  these  dungeons  was  a  vast 
assemblage  of  poor  and  undistinguished  criminals, 
emaciated  from  starvation,  and   many  in  a  half- 
naked  condition.     In'  the  centre  of  the  court  was  a 
pile  of  dirty  straw,  tattered  garments,  well-polished 
bones,  and  cabbage-leaves,  apparently  collected  to 
be  burnt.     Some  of  the  prisoners  seemed  to  be  en- 
gaged in  gambling  stealthily  in  a  corner ;  some  were 
employed   more   praiseworthily,   in    ridding    each 
other  of  vermin ;  while  others  were  collected  round 
a  more  learned  member  of  the  fraternity,  listening 
tp  something  he  was  reading.     As  we  descended 
among  them,  the  Alcayde  caUed.put,  in  a  voice  of 
authority—"  Each  one  to  his  dungeon  ! — Cada  uno 
a  su  calabozo  r — and  they  instantly  escaped  to  the 
obscurity  of  their  subterranean  abodes. 

In- each  dungeon  one  man  was  selected  to  com- 
mand, with  the  title  of  calabozero ;  in  one  of  them 
this  station  was  held  by  a  drum-major  of  the  Roy- 


320  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

alist  volunteers,  a  stout,  ferocious-looking  fellow, 
whose  blackened  eye  indicated  that  his  authority 
had  not  been  recognised  without  dispute.  The 
chief,  in  each' case,  was  the- greatest  villain  in  the 
dungeon,  being  selected  from  his  commanding  charr 
acter  and  fearless  courage.  Thus,  the  captain  of 
one  calahoza  which  we  entered  was  a  little  man, 
named  Chirasca,  who  boasted  the  committal  of  un- 
counted murders.  He  vvas  small,  with  pale  com- 
plexion, light  hair,  and  whitish  eyes.  He  held  the 
candle  as  we  entered  his  dominions,  and  the  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance,  when  th\is  illumined, 
was  at  once  murderous  and  tranquil.  Neverj  per- 
haps, did  light  fall  upon  a  collection  of  human 
faces,  more  variously  marked  with  every  demoniac 
expression  of" which  crime  is  susceptible.  They 
Were„pale  and  ghastly,  for  the  most  part,  and  many . 
were  awfully  disfigured,  and  gashed  with  recent 
wounds.  Some  had  their  arms  bound  behind,  to 
prevent-  them  offering  violence  io'  the  rest.  Two, 
who  had  recently  been  fighting  with  knives,  were 
ofdered  out',  to  be  placed  in  separate  cells.  Yet 
all  here  were  not,  perhaps,  equally  criminal.  Sonle 
there  were  whose  offences  were  merely  political, 
and  whose  opinions,  a  few  months  before,  were  of 
the  same  colour  with  those  which  regulated  the 
state,  were  in  possession  of  power,  and  in  fashion 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  321 

at  the  court.  '  There  were,  moreover,  many  lads  of  a 
tender  age  here.  One  who,  save  the  scanty  covering 
of  the  tatters  of  a  manta,  was  absolutely  naked, 
seemed  about  to  yield  to  starvation,  disease,  and 
verinin,  and  implored  us,  with  tears,  to  have  him 
removed  to  the  hospital.  We  interceded  with  the 
Alcayde  to  do  so,  and  were  glad  to  hear  him  give 
the  necessary  order  ere  we  came  away. 

.        .  r    Q  3  • 


^       1 


♦  .• 


■-      .   .  •  *  -    ''•  •■■    .V 

■    ■       •  •    .      '.  ..* 


322  SPAIN  REVISITED. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PRISON  OF  THE  SALADERO. 

Visit  of  Inspectors— Crowded  Cells— Extortion  of  Jailers— Profes- 
sions of  Innocence— A  Frenchman— A  Soldier— A  Priest— The 
would-be   Ravaillac  —  Pedro  Hebrero  — Sacrilegious    Murder  — 
Courtyard— Common  Prisoners— -Their  Condition— Development 
•  of  Grime. 

■The  second  prison  of  Madrid  is  the  Saladero, 
which  stands  near  the  Gate  of  Santa  Barbara.  On 
going  to  visit  it,  the  day  after  we  had  seen  the 
Prison  of  the  Court,  we  fo^nd  the  Alcayde  in  a 
bl^ic'k  court-dress  of  the  last  century,  with  cocked 
hat,  and  steel-hilted  sword,  prepared  to  receive  the 
visiting  commission,  consisting  af  two  counsellors 
of  Castile,  who,,as  suchj  were  dignitaries  of  great 
importance,  whose  business  it  ^vas  to  visit  these 
prisons  at  stated  periods,  for  the  purpose  of  exam- 
ining into  the  condition  of  the  prisoners,  and  taking 
note  of  their  complaints.  We  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  how-far  this  benevolent  provision  of  royal 
mercy  was  carried  into  effect,  and  drawing  analo- 
gies from  this  to  other  things,  in  which  the  paternal 
intentit)iis  of  kings  may  equally  be  frustrated,  by 
the  unfaithfulness  of  courtiers.     These  noblemen 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  323 

simply  went  into  the  Alcayde's  apartment,  exam- 
ined his  report,  made  a  few  notes,  and  re-entered 
their  antique  coach,  driving  off  as  wise  as  thej 
came,  preceded  by  the  attendant  alguazils  •  on 
horseback,  bearing  their  wands  of  office. 

As  we  entered  the  prison,  a  number  of  rural 
guards  were  admitted,  having  in.  custody  five  rob- 
bers, whom  they  had  apprehended  in  a  neighbour- 
ing village.  One  of  these  was  a  gipsy,  readily 
recognised  as  such,  by  the  delicate  symmetry  of 
his  features,  his  bronzed  complexion,  between  that 
pf  an  Indian  and  a  mulatto^  and  his  lank  black  hair, 
of  hor^e-tail  coarseness.  Before  we  commenced 
our.examination,  the  colonel,  my  companion,  made 
a  minute  of  the  daily  ration  allowed  to  the  pris- 
oners, consisting  of  a  pound-  of  bread,  eight  ounces 
of  garbanzos,  or  marrowfat  peas,  and  one  ounce  of 
oil,  which  are  made  into  soup,  seasoned  with  garlic, 
saffron,,  and  red  peppers,  which  are  supplied  in  the 
kitchen.  .  ..^z '  . 

Although  there  was  a  number  of  vacant  rooms 
in  this  prisbn,  those  whO' were  separated  from  the 
common  herd,  in  consequence  of  having  money, 
were  packed  so  close,  thai  in  many  cases  there  \ 
were  ten  people  in  a  room  ten  feet  square.  The 
Alcayde  and  his  myrmidons,  indeed,  are  almost 
entirely  supported  by  their  exactions  from  such 


324  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

prisoners  as  have  means  of  their  own,  or  compas- 
sionate friends  without. 

Among  the  privileged  criminals,  one  man  was 
pointed  out  as  having  been  long  employed  in  the 
King's  stables,  and  who,  falKnginto  a  quarrel  with 
a  companion,  killed  him,  in  a  momentary  fit  of 
rage,  with  a  knife  with  which  he  happened  to  be 
making  a  cigar.  Here  was  also  a  Frenchman 
from  Bayonne,  a  comb-maker  by  trade,  who,  by 
his  own  account,  had  an  apprentice  who  had  se- 
duced his  wife  ;  she  had  lied,  alleging  that  he  was 
about  to  kill  her,  which,  being  backed  by  the  evi- 
dence of  the  apprentice,  and  of  a  doctor  who  lived 
in  the  same  house,  procured  his  imprisonment. 
Another  Frenchman,  in  the  same  predicament,  said 
that  he -had  chanced  to  be  a  clerk  in  a  shop  in 
which  some  smuggled  goods  were  found ;  his 
principal  had  fled  from  justice,  and  he  had  beeil 
.  imprisoned  two  years  before,  for  not  informing 
against  his  master.  As  we  went  from  room  to 
room,  listening  to  all  these  stories  of  asserted  inno- 
cence, the  keeper,  in  turning  from  eath  door,  took 
pains  to  remove  the  impression  which  each  had 
made,  explaining  the  difficulty  that  there  was  in 
/procuring  a  conviction  ;  since  in  Madrid,  the 
rogues  were  so  skilled  in  crime,  that  they  were 
always   able  to  take  precautions   beforehand,  to 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  325 

prove  that  they  had  not  committed  it — "  Estan  si 
adelantados  en  el  roho  a  qui,  que  siempre  hacen 
sus  precauciones  para  probar  que  no  lo  han  hechoP 

Among  the  most  remarkable  cases  of  crime 
which  this  prison  exhibited,  was  that  of  a  soldier, 
who,  oi;i  his  march  with  his  regiment  to  the  scene 
of  civil  war  in  Biscay,  had  killed  his  patrona,  in 
whose  house  he  was  billeted  only  a  few  days  before 
we  saw  him,  by  knocking  her  brains  out  with  the 
butt  of  his  musket,  as  he  was  going  a\May  in  the 
morning,  in  order  to  possess  himself  of  a  bag  con- 
taining twenty  dollars,  which,  by  some  means,  he 
had  discovered  her  to  possess.  So  far  from  at- 
tempting a  Ije,  he  stated  the  whole  matter  to  us 
with  perfect  frankness,  and  as  if  it  were  an  indif- 
ferent circumstance.  The  colonel  asked  him  how 
he  could  bring  himself  to  commit  so  horrid  a  crime ; 
at  first,  he  answered,  though  without  embarrass- 
ment, that  he  did  not  know ;  but,  after  a  moment's 
reflection,  he  added — "  It  was  an  evil  thought  that 
came  over  me — un  mal  pensamiento."  He  had 
evidently  committed  the  crime  without  forethought, 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment;  and,  although  the  facts 
were  vivid  in  his  mind,  he  seemed  scarce  to  real- 
ize the  atrocity  of  which  he  had  been  guilty. 

The  most  singular  group^of  the  prison,  however, 
was  one  of  three  clerical  personages,  confined  in  a 

28 


326  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

rooru  by  themselves.  One  of  them  w^as  a  friar, 
who  had  robbed  his  abbot  somewhere  in  the  coun 
try,  and  had  come  up  to  the  capital  to  spend  his 
money  :  casting  aside  the  ungainly  habit  of  his  or- 
der, he  had  decked  himself  in  the  gay  garments  of 
a  Manolo,  and  was  passing  his  time  most  joyously, 
though  not  very  conformably  to  monastic  usage, 
when  he  had  been  apprehended  as  a  suspicious 
person,  in  consequence  of  having  no  passport. 
Here,  too|  was  the  idiotic  student,  who,  impelled, 
doubtless,  by  similar  clerical  influence,  had  at-, 
tempted  to  repeat  that  part  which,  in  another  age 
and  country,  a  Ravaillac  had  so  fatally  enacted. 
He  sat  shivering  in  a  far  corner  of  the  room,  his 
limbs  drawn  up  and  half  covered  with  straw,  re- 
minding me  most  familiarly  of  a  sc^ne  in  Lear, 
and  the  expressive  ejaculation — '"  Tom's  a-cold  !"  ' 
But  the  third  person  of  the  group  was  be  who 
most  attracted  my  attention,  and  whose  story — 
partly  related  by  himself  as  a  suspicion,  partly  con- 
firmed afterward  as  being  true — I  shall  not  spee- 
dily forget.  His  name  was  Pedro  Hebrero,  not 
long  before, a  monk  in  the  Convent  of  San  Basilio, 
in  the  street  of  Disengano,  the  abbot  gf  which 
was  found  one  morning  cruelly  mur(Jered  in  his 
cell,  by  tlie  hand  of  this  Hebrero  and  four  others, 
who  were   arrested  on  suspicion  of  having  been 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  327 

either  part  or  privy  to  the  foul  deed.  It  seems  that 
the  venerable  abbot,  being  a  niost  devout  and  con- 
scientious man,  was  much  scandalized  by  the  con- 
duct of  some  of  his  young  monks,  who  were  in  the 
habit  of  playing  cards,  getting  drunk,  and  introdu- 
cing girls  into  the  convent  at  night.  After  repro-" 
ving  them  repeatedly  in  vain,  he  threatened,  if  there 
was  any  repetition  of  the  offence,  to  inflict  upon 
them  penance,  and  seclusion  in  their  cells.  Irri- 
tated with  this  interference  with  established  usage, 
and  'attempt  to  subject  them  to  harsher  discipline 
than  prevailed  in  other  convents  of  their  order,  the 
young  monks  determined  to  put  him  to  death. 
They  carried  their  murderous  project  immediately 
into  execution,  and,  accordingly,  one  morning  the 
venerable  recluse  was  found  dead  in  his  bed,  cov- 
ered with  blood,  and  pierced  with  many  deadly 
wounds.  Five  of  the  monks,  who  were  known  to 
have  incurred  the  ecclesiastical  displeasure  of  their 
loo  conscientious  superior,  and  against  whom  there 
was  Strong  concurring  evidence,  were  forthwith  ar- 
rested. They  remained  so  nearly  three  years ;  at 
the  end  of  which,  two  of  them,  whose  participation 
in  the  crime  was  less  evident,  were  condemned  to 
seclusion,  in  a  convent  of  their  order  in  Majorca, 
and  the  perusal  of  certain  pious  books.  The  other 
three  were  sentenced  to  the  secular  punishment — 


328  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

most  disproporti6ned  to  the  atrocity  of  their  offence, 
which  their  ecclesiastical  condition  only  rendered 
more  heinous — of  being  sent  to  the  galleys  for  a 
term  of  years,  Father  Hebrero,  who  had  the  air 
of  being  capable  of  having  committed  the  crime 
unaided,  was  assigned  to  the  worst  of  the  Spanish 
Presidios,  the  Pefion  of  Gomera,  in  Africa.  His 
tonsure,  and  whatever  indicated  his  priestly  condi- 
tion, had  been  abandoned,  atid  he  wore  his  hair, 
which  was  black  and  bristly,  in  more  than  usual 
profusion,  seeming  particularly  satisfied  with  a 
huge  pair  of  whiskers,  which  it  was  apparently  his 
chief  pleasure  to  cultivate.  He  had  on  a  very 
good  suit  of  blue  clothes,  with  an  ample  cloak, 
and  seemed  to  have  more  means  than  any  prisoner 
I  had  yet  seen,  which  made  it  probable  that,  after 
the  commission  of  the  most  ruthless  atrocity  that 
it  was  possible  to  conceive,  he  would  still,  by  bri- 
bing his  keepers,  escape  justice  entirely. 

Blessed  with  the  honoured  companionship  of 
Father  Hebrero,  who,  in  consideration  of  his  double 
distinction  as  a  priest,  and  a  criminal  of  a  higher 
order,  seemed  to  have  the  privilege  of  the  whole 
prison,  we  took  our  way  to  the  common  courtyard 
appropriated  to  vulgar  offenders.  The  scene  which 
it  presented  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Prison  of 
the  Court.     Squalidity,  starvation,  nakedness,  rags, 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  329 

Straw,  wretches  engaged  in  vain  efforts  to  beguile 
their  ennui,  or  seeking  to  recover  the  vital  heat, 
which  the  cold  of  the  past  night  had  well-nigh  ex- 
tinguished, as  they  lay  lifeless  in  the  sun,  their 
faces  buried  in  their  emaciated  hands,  which  were 
forbidden  the  privilege  of  that  wholesome  toil  which 
might  have"  diminished  the  burden  of  their  present 
existence  to  the  state,  and  rendered  their  own  con- 
dition  more  tolerable,  constituted  the  chief  features 
of  the  scene. 

I  do  not  now  remember  whether  it  was  in  this 
or  the  other  prison,  that  the  residence  of  the  Ver- 
dugo,  or  public  executioner,  was  pointed  out  to  me. 
The  office  of  hangman  is  so  infamous  in  Spain, 
that  a  hue  and  cry,  similar  to  that  raised  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  mad  dog,  is  ever  sure  to  await  his  ap- 
pearance or  recognition  in  the  public  streets.  Here 
he  is  always  lodged  in  the  security  of  the  prison,  or 
in  the  citadel,  if  there  be  one.  Thus,  in  Gibraltar, 
whe^e  the  population  is  still  Spanish,  to  a  .consid- 
erable extent,  the  usage  has  been  maintained,  of 
quartering  the  hangman  in  the  old  Moorish  Alcazar. 

This  caurtyard  was  filled,  like  the  other,  with 

persons  charged,  or  convicted — 'if,  indeed,  there  be 

any  difference  between  the  two  conditions  in  Spain 

. — with -every  variety  of  crime.     About  one  half  of 

them  were  robbers ;  and  out  of  fifty,  for  there  were 

28* 


330  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

about  this  number,  fourteen  had  committed  mur- 
ders. This  is  a  crime  exciting  less  disgust  and 
more  -  sympathy  in  Spain,  than  any  other.  Those 
who  had  "  made  deaths,"  stood  out,  when  told  to 
do  so,  with  an  air  destitute  of  shame,  arid  rather 
denoting  satisfaction.  With  these  were  mingled 
political  offenders,  who,  in  the  eye  of  an  American, 
accustomed  to  look  Upon  difference  of  opinion  as 
innocent,  and  no  fit  subject  for  persecution,  were 
no  offenders  at  all ;  and  one  tall  Andalusian,  whose 
dress,  figure,  and  attitude  proclaimed  him,  ere  he 
avowed  it,  to  be  a  smuggler,  from  the  Sierrania  of 
Ronda,  and  towards  whom  I  instantly  fell  a  friendly 
yearning,  told  me,  when  I  asked  why  he  was  there, 
that  it  was  "  for  twenty  pounds  of  tobacco— para 
veint&  lihras  de  tabaco  /"  Having  expressed  sen- 
tentiously  his  wish,  that  he  had  some  of  it  then  to 
console  him,  I  gave  him  the  means  of  gratifying 
his  wants ;  and  there  were  ten  chances  t6  one,  that 
the  tobacco  which  the  keepers  would  furnish  to  him, 
would  also  be  smuggled.  Such  is .  the  .  justice 
which  Spain,  liberal  or  despotic,  metes  out  to  her 
children. 

This  prison  was  far  better  constructed  than  the 
other.  The  dungeons  leading  from  the  courtyard 
were  neatly  arched,  spacious,  and  secure.  The 
sleeping-places,  which  were  of  brick^  being  built 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  331 

with  an  inclination,  so  that,  whether  there  were  any 
means  of  raising  the  head  or  not,  it  would  still  be 
higher  than  the  body.  They  are  supposed  to  be 
allowed  mantas,  or  blankets,  but  few  had  any. 
They  live  and  sleep  together  as  we  have  before 
seen,  without  any  classification  of  crime ;  and 
classification  of  age  is  equally  neglected  ;  the  mi- 
nor is -thrust  in  with  the  full  grown;  those  who 
have  taken,  the  first  step,  in  crime,  with  the  thor- 
oughly experienced ;  the  smuggler,  or  perhaps  the 
political  offender,  of  otherwise  virtuous  character, 
with  the  robber  and  the  assassin.  Here  are  no 
pastimes,  no  occupations,  no  fire  to  qualify  the 
chill  air  of  this  subterranean  abode ;  no  ray  of  the 
sun  to  dispel  its  gloom,  or  banish  its  cheerless- 
ness  ;  no  bedclothes,  and  often  ho  covering  of  any 
sort.  What  torture  can  equal  slow  sufferings  such 
as  these  ?-r-whal  feelings  must  here  be  nurtured 
by  the  victim,  towards'  his  persecuting  fellow- 
men  ? — what  demoniac  purposes  of  vengeance 
against  that  society  which  has  closed  its  bosom 
to  him  ? — Ask  the  record  of  Spanish  crime,  and 
it  will-  tell  you  of  the  ingenious  atrocities  com- 
mitted by  graduates  from  these  guilty  universities, 
whose  diplomas  might  well  constitute  an  ad  eun- 
dum  to  the  pave  of  London  itself. 


332  SPAIN   REVISITED. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

CRIME  AND  RETRIBUTION. 

La  Galera — Female  Convicts — The  Schoolmistress — Leocadia  Lin- 
dez — Maria  Guadeno — The  Rectora — Her  System — Her  Regrets^ 
La  Inclusa — Exposure— Immorality  of  Foundhng  Hospitals — El 
Rastro— The  Madrid  Morgue — An  Execution — Brotherhood  of 
Peace  and  Charity — Procession — The  Felon — The  Confessor — 
The  Garrote— Catastrophe  — The  Requiem. 

It  has  been  well  said,  that  women  are  both  bet- 
ter and'  worse  than  we  are,  and  a  familiarity  with 
Spanish  females  will  not  tend  to  invalidate  the 
truth  of  this  proposition.  Of- strong  passions,  and 
unaccustomed  to  salutary  control,  in  a  country 
where  the  law  has  little  power  to  reward  good  or 
punish  evil,  their  actions  are  prompted  by  impulse 
alone  ;  sometimes  elevating  them  to  deeds  of  une- 
qualled devotion,  sometimes  sinking  them  to  the 
lowest  depths  of  crime.  The  annals  of  Spain,  in 
all  ages,  illustrate,  by  the  most  brilliant  examples, 
the  heroism  and  virtue  of  her  women ;  and  the 
reader  who  will  now 'accompany  us  in  our  visit  to 
the  Galera,  will  .find  abundant  'evidence  of  their  ca- 
pacity for  the  most  atrocious, critn6. 

This  is  a  prison  for  the  reception  of  female  con- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  333 

victs  alone,  and  for  women  condemned  to  seclu- 
sion by  their  husbands  or  fathers,  with  a  view  to 
their  punishment  or  reformation.  The  alcalde  of 
the  barrier,  whom  we  met  in  the  Saladero,  accom- 
panied us  to  the  place,  recommending  us  to  the 
attention  of  the  Alcayde,  or  governor.  At  the  door 
was  a  guard,  from  the  corps  of  Invalids,  and  over 
the  portal  we  read  the  motto  of  this  seclusion,  con- 
ceived in  that  spirit  of  noble  sententiousness  to 
which  the  Spanish  language  and  the  national  turn  of 
mind  So  naturally  lend  themselves — ''Odia  el  delito 
y  compadece  el  delincuente,'^  which,  rendered  liber- 
ally, proclaims  that  the  system  of  the  place  is  con- 
ceived in  the  spirit  of  hatred  of  crime,  and  com- 
passion for  the  criminal.  This  we  found,  oil 
inspection,  to  be  true,  and  we  could  not  help  won- 
dering, that  a  treatment  of  criminals  so  philosophic 
and  so  benevolent,  should  exist  in  the  same  city 
with  the  infamous  receptacles  of  crime  we  had  just 
visited,  and  which  seemed  to  offer  a  fit  realization 
of  hell  upon  earth.     *'    .  .     -.  '  i 

The  alcayde  of  the  place  was  a  Catakn :  his 
wife,  who  was  an  Estremenia,  or  native  of  Estre- 
madura,  held  the  situation  of  Rectora,  and  had 
charge  of  the  occupations  and  internal  police  of 
the  recluses.  Every  thing  in  this  place  was  con- 
summately neat  and  orderly.     The  washing-room, 


334  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

which  adjoined  the  court,  the  dormitories,  the 
chapel,  all  conveyed  the  idea  of  taste,  comfort,  and 
propriety.  We  found  the  recluses  in  the  work- 
room, arranged  in  order,  and  engaged  in  cutting 
out  and  making  up  clothing- for  soldiers.  They 
seemed 'glad  to  see  us,  and  were  very  civil.  For 
the  most  part,  they  were  rather  old  than  young, 
and  their  countenances  were  generally  marked  with 
a  bad  expression,  though  not  singularly  so,  when 
one  remembered  that  they  formed  the  very  choice 
of  the  vicious,  in  a  country  so  full  of  crime  as 
Spain,  and  that  rae  fifth  of  the  whole  number  had 
actually  taken  the  lives  of  their  husbands.  One, 
however,  who  was  engaged  in  embroidering  a  man- 
tilla, an  occupation  which  showed  that  she. was 
not  from  tlie  lowest  class,  was  young,  and  of  very 
interesting  appearance.  We  were  told  afterward 
that  she  had  been  taken  up  for  issuing  counterfeit 
money,  and,  perhaps,  was  only  the  instrument  of 
the  guilt  of  a  vicious  father  or  brother.  The  Rec- 
tora  was  very  careful  ndt  to  tell  ug  of  these  offences 
in  the  presence  of  the  recluses,  it  being, her  system 
to  make  them  lose  sight  of  their  .crimes,  and  never 
to  allow  them  to  accuse  or  taunt  ea'ch  other. 

One  "woman  of  .middle  age,  and  moderately  well- 
looking,  whom  we  found  knitting,  asked  the  colo- 
nel  if  he  had  brought  her  indulto,  or  pardon.     He 


•  SPAIN    REVISITED.  335 

inquired  of  her  the  nature  of  her  offence,  and  her 
answer  was,  "  nothing,"  though  she  presently  ad- 
ded, "  one  little  that  1  did,  and  another  little  that  I 
was  accused  of  doing,  make  two  littles,  and  for 
these  am  I  here — Un  poco  que  he.  hecho  y  otro 
que  me  han  puesto  hacen  dos  pocos,  y  por  estos 
estoy  a  qui!"  The  Alcayde  improved  upon  this 
tale  of  innocence,  by  adding,  tliat  -her  offence  was 
having  gone  twice  to  mass  in  one  day.  He  af- 
terward told  us,  that  she  was  a  woman  of  noto- 
rious character,  and,  moreover,  an  abetter  of  rob- 
bers and  assassins.  Her  character  had,  indeed, 
been  so  vicious,  that  before  her  iniipTisonment,  she 
was  publicly  paraded  through  Madrid,  where  she 
was"  perfectly  well  known,  being  seated  on  the 
back  of  an  ass,  with  a  bunch  of  false  keys  hung 
round  her  neck  like  a  rosary,  pausing,  from  time 
to  time,  in  a  public  square,  or  at  a  corner,  to  be 
scourged  on  the  bare  skin  with  rods.    , .  •  - 

After  we  had  gone  through  the  various  rooms, 
and  expressed  to  the  Rectora  our  admiration  of  her 
consummate  management,  she  invited  us  to  hipr 
parlour  to  repose,  and  gave  us  some,  account  of  the 
various  criminals  who  had  been  or  were  still  under 
her  charge.  Among  the  more  noted  who  were 
still  there  was  Josefa  Ramos,  a  schoolmistress  from 
one   of  the   neighbouring  villages.     Her   brother 


336  SPAIN  REVISITED.  • 

had  been  serenading  his  mistress  at  an  unseason- 
ablehour,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Alcalde,  who,  wish- 
ing to  keep  the  streets  quiet  in  the  night,  or,  as  the 
-Rectora  sententiously  added — "  queriendo  corner''^ 
^ — being  anxious  to  extort  money,  without  which  it 
is  not  worth  while  to  be  Alcal4e  in  Spain,  any 
more  than  Cadi  ainong  the  Turks,  summoned  the 
musical' delinquent  to  appear.  He  kept  out  of  the 
•way,  and  his  sister,  with  whom  he  lived,  was  sum- 
moned as  his  -sponsor.  She  appeared  accordingly, 
and,  after  much  interrogation,  was  mulcted  in  a  sum 
which  it  was  neither  convenient  nor  agreeable  for 
her  to  pay.  Her  temper,  which  doubtless  had  not 
been  much  softened  in  her  profession  of  maestra 
de  ninaSjWais  roused  at  such  outrageous  injustice, 
and  after  words  of  recrimination  on  either  side, 
she  seized  the  cadi's  penknife,  and  struck  him  on 
the  back  of  the  neck,  just  where  the  mercy-stroke 
is  given  by  bullfighters,  as  he  leaned  over  to  take 
down  some  fresh  accusation. 

Here  was  also  a  woman  who  had  killed  her 
husband,  with  the  aid  of  her  lover,  and  then  carried 
him  to  an  olive-orchard,  and  left  him,  to  convey 
the  idea  tTiat  he  had  been  detected  in  steahnsr 
olives,  and  killed  by  the  owner.  Another  similar 
circumstance,  yet  more  infamous,  was  related  of 
one  Leocadia  Lindez,  a  woman  of  respectable  pa- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  337 

rentage,  in  Fuentes  de  Leganes,  who,  having  killed 
her  husband,  with  the  aid  of  her  paramour,  placed 
his  body  in  a  sack  with  stones,  and  loaded  it  on 
the  back  of  her  accomplice,  to  carry  in  the  night 
to  a  neighbouring  stream.  As  they  went  along, 
under  pretence  of  sustaining  the  burden,  she  con- 
trived to  take  a  few  stitches  with  packthread, 
through  the  bag  and  tha  back  of  his  jacket.  On 
reaching  the  top  of  the  bridge,  she  told  him-  to 
throw  it  over ;  and  aiding  the  impulse  as  he  obeyed, 
she  sent  both  into  the  stream  together.  A  shep- 
herd who  chanced. to  be  near  with  his  flock,  had  a 
ghmpse  of  the  scene  ;  the  river  was  searched,  the 
bodies  found,  and  the  murderer  identified,  After  a 
short  confinement  here,  she  was  liberated  through 
the  agency  of  a  rich  uncle,  and,  being  not  less 
licentious  than  beautiful,  she  continued  to  lead  a 
dissolute  life  in  the  capital,  until  her  attractions 
were  gone,  when  she  became  a  beggar,  in  which' 
character  the  Akayde  had  recently  seen  her  in  the 
Gate  of  the  Sun.  .  -^     • 

Another  notorious  personage,  still  in  the  Galera, 
was  a  bishop's  niece — which  sometimes  means  his 
daughter,  though  not  often,  for  the  bishops  in 
Spain  are  usually  exemplary  in  their  lives — who 
had  also  murdered  her  husband.     But  of  all  the 

atrocious  women  that  I  had  seen  or  heard  of,  either 
VOL,  I. — p  29 


338  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

here  or  elsewhere,  the  most  vicious,  as  well  as  the 
most  valiant,  was  Maria  Guadeiio.  This  woman, 
who  lived  in  a  neighbouring  villages,  had  one  day  a 
quarrel  with  five  men,  who  were  assembled  in  a 
tavern,  and  who  attempted  to  seize  and  beat  her, 
for  some  abuse  she  had  vented  on  them.  Hav- 
ing rushed  out  of  the  house  to  escape,  they  pursued 
her,  when  she  caught  hold  of  a  grating-  of  the  win- 
dow with  her  left  hand,  to  prevent  herself  from 
being  dragged  away,  while,  wielding  a  knife  with 
the  right,  she  presently  dealt  a  mortal  blow  in  the 
stomach  to  one 'of  the  assailants,  and  badly  wound- 
ed another,  when  a  stroke  on  the  arm  with  a  blud- 
geon brought  the  knife  to  the  ground,  and  it  was 
•taken  from  her.  In  this  situation,  her  rage  minis- 
tered a  singular  weapon  in  the  comb  which  she 
wore  in  her  head,  with  which  she  struck  the  man 
who  stooped  to  secure  the  knife,  and  tore  away  his 
left  eye.  She  then  made  her  escape,  and  was  soon 
after  found  at  home,  by  the  justicia,  very  quietly 
seated  beside  her  mother,  breakfasting  on  fried 
liver.  .    .        • 

The  Rectora,  in  explaining  the  nature  of  her 
system  and  mode  of  discipline,  of  which  shfe  was 
justly  proud,  described  how  she  had  overcome  the 
obstinate  stupidity  of  a  Valenciana,  who  had  fallen 
lately  into  her  hands,  and  who  was  as  hopelessly 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  339 

ignorant  and  incorrigible,  as  if  she  had  been  bred 
among  the  wild  beasts  in  the  mountains.  She 
seated  her  next  herself  in  the  working-room^  and 
gave  her  a  task.  She  did  not  get  on  well,  and  was 
sulky,  and  she  gave  her  a  blow  with  the  vara,  or 
yardstick,  which  was  her  constant  companion. 
The  blows  were  repeated  as  often  as  the  offences, 
until  at  lipnglh  she  became  both  clever  and  good- 
natured,  and  after  a  time  so  fond  of  her  mistress, 
that  she  would  follow  her  like  a  dog,  and  take  her 
part  in  every  dispute  occurring  among  the  recluses 
during  hec  absence.  .  _       .•       ; 

Notwithstanding,  however,  the  commanding  char- 
acter of  the  Rectora,  and  the  excellence  of  the  dis- 
cipline, in  a.  society  containing  every  element  of 
disorder  and  crime,  and  which,  previous  to  her  as- 
sumption of  office,  was  the  scene  of  perpetual  strife 
and, murders,  perpetrated  by  means  of  scissors,  or 
whatever  weapon  chance  might  minister,  still,  she 
seemed  to  be  in  some  measure  awed  by  the  fiercer 
spirit  of  Maria  Guaderio.  She  said  that  she  was  a., 
complete  hell  of  passion  when  excited ;  and  whfe^v'" 
we  expressed  a  wish  to  see  her  by  herself,  after 
we  had  made  the  circuit  of  the  rooms,  she  seemed 
unwilling  to  excite  her  displeasure  by  singling  her 
out.     At  last  she  suggested  that  we  should  ask  for 

her,  under  pretence  of  delivering  a  message  from  a 

p2 


340  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

younger  sister  of  hers,  who  was  at  that  time  a 
prisoner  in  the  Saladero.  We  did  so,  and  she 
presently  appeared — a  woman  of  middle  age,  ap- 
parently of  low  condition,  and  accustomed  to  toil; 
she'  was  not  we.ll-l6o"king,  yet  there  was  nothing  par- 
ticularly ferocious  in  her  countenance ;  for  we  had 
not  remarked  her  when  seated  ^motig  the  rest.  She 
asked  for  her  sister  with  great  and  unaffected  kind- 
ness, and  begged  tHat  we  would  interest  ourselves 
to  have  her  sent  to  the  Inclusa,  for  she  was  only 
fifteen  years  old,  and  it  was  a  pity  that  she  should 
be  exposed,  at  her  age,  to  the  hardships  and  con- 
tamination of  a  common  dungeon.  After  she'had 
gone  away,  the  Rectora  told  us  that  Maria's  one- 
eyed  victim  had  made  her  a  visit  not  long  ago,  and 
was  not  particularly  well  received  by  her,  for  she 
had  always  said  that  it  was  the  evidence  of  the 
tuerto,  or  one-eyed,  that  procured  her  conviction. 
"If  God  spares  me" — she  is  wont  to  say,  with 
great,  but  terrible  calmness — "to  fulfil  my  ten 
years,  the  first  "thing  I  shall  do  will  be  to  kill  the 
tuerto."  She  has  yet  four  years  to  remain,  and 
the  best  use' the' tuerto  can  make  of  them  is  to 
change  his  name,  get  a  glass  eye,  and  transport 
himself  to  some  other  country. 

The  system  of  the  establishment  under  the  di- 
rection of  this  firm  and  ingenious  woman,  embraces 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  .341 

the  minutest  attention  to  cleanliness,  order,  "a  judi- 
cious distribution  of  time,  and  exact  attention  to  re- 
ligious observances.  The  day  begins,  as  in  a  well- 
regulated  man-of-war,  with  the  employments  con- 
nected with  cleanliness  and  preparation ;  then  fol- 
lows breakfast  ;  after  that  mass  ;  then  the  season  of 
the  more  "important  labours,  until  dinner,  which  is 
accompanied  by  three  pater-nosters ;  work  again 
ensues,  until  the  rosary,  succeeding  the  evening 
meal,  ushers  in  the  allotted  season  of  repose,  Tha 
spirit  of  order,  of  occupation,  of  well-divided  time, 
assigning  to  each  portion  of  the  day  its  correspond- 
ing employment,  all  tend  to  tranqjuillize  and  give  a 
healthy  tone  to  the  mind,  substituting  a  calm  con- 
tentment for  wasteful  and  corroding  care,  and  lay- 
ing the  surest  foundation  for  reformation  and  future 
usefulness  in  the  world,  in  the  formation  of  those 
habUs  which  are  themselves  the  means  of  honour- 
able subsistence.  Though  the  Rectora  dwelt  with 
complacency  on  the  good  effects  of  her  system, 
and  on  the  contrast  presented  by  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  Galera  and  that  in  which  she 'found 
it,  yet  she  seemed  heart-sick  -at  the  recollection  of 
the  time  she  had  passed  there,  and  shuddered  at 
the  thought  that  her  labours  might  be  interminable. 
The  tears  stood  in  her  eyes  as' she  spoke  to  me  of 

her  unhappy  lot ;  her  thoughts  glowed  at  the  idea 

29* 


342  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

of  an  escape  from  an  imprisonment  as  irksome  to 
her  as  to  the  compulsory  recluses,  and  her  words 
partook  of  their  eloquence.  "  I  will  go  to  the 
Queen" — said  she — "  I  will  ask  to  be  relieved  from 
these  vile  cares,  and,  as  an  only  reward  for  so  many 
years  of  faithfulness,  to  receive  some  modest  pen- 
sion^  which  will  enabld  me  to  await  in  peacefulness 
the  close  of  my  days,  separated  from  this  base  as- 
sociation with  the  worst  of  criminals,  and  far  from 
these  gloomy  walls^  within  whose  polluted  precincts 
I  have  been  doomed  to  pass  the  flower  of  my  life, 
the  best  of  my  existence  as  a  woman  ! — la  flor  de 
mi  vida,  lo  viejor  de  mi  ser  como  muger  /"  I  was 
affected  and  struck  by  the  eloquence  of  this  wo- 
man, though  not  surprised,  knowing,  as  I  did,  that 
elevated  sentiments  are  not  here  the  exclusive 
attribute  "of  lofty  station,  and  how  naturally  the 
noble  language  of  the  land  lends  itself  to  their  ut- 
terance.     "  ■       •  .        •  - 

'Having  visited  the  prisons  of  the  capital,  we 
passed  to  the  inspection  of  the  more  prominent  of 
its  benevolent  institutions,  of  which  there  ar£  many. 
We  were  struck  with  the  vastness  of  the  hospitals; 
especially  that  of  San  Carlos,  where  some  thou- 
sands of  sick  are  perpetually  received  and  suq- 
coured.  The  Foundling  Hospital,  known  by  the 
jaame  of  the  Inclusa,  was,  however,  that  vvhicK 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  343 

most  attracted  our  attention.  The  Minister's  cir- 
cular opened  this,  like  the  rest,  to  our  inspection, 
and  I  was  armed  with  an  additional  passport  to  the 
courtesy  and  good  offices  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity- 
having  charge  of  the  establishment,  in  a  letter  from 
the  distinguished  lady  who  patronises  and  superin- 
tends it,  and  whose.name,  associated  with  whatever 
efforts  of  benevolence  are  directed  to  the  relief  of 
female  distress  in  Madrid,  calls  to  mind  the  inge- 
nious nobleman  who  produced,  in  Lazarillo  de 
formes,  the  first  novel  of  a  class,  from  which  the 
reading  world  has  since  received  so  much  delight, 
and  who  was  alike  illustrious  for  his  success  in 
war,  in  letters,  and  diplomacy.  The  reader  will 
not  fail  to  remember  the  name  of  Don  Diego  Hur- 
tado  de  Mendoza. 

The  Sisters  received  us  very  kindly  at  the  gate, 
and  conducted  us  to  the  office,  submitting  to  our 
inspection  the  records  of  the  infants  received  into 
the  institution,  with  a  description  of  their  condition 
of  health,  and  the  mode  in  which  they  were  clad, 
and  all  the  circumstances  attending  their  history, 
which  was  usually  a  brief  one.  Out  of  every  six 
children,  on  an  average,  there  would  be  only  one 
whose  story  would  not  wind  up  with  the  simple 
and  sententious  word  muerto,  written  opposite  m. 
the  last  column.     Infanticide,  in  every  instance, 


344  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

would  seem  to  have  been  charity,  compared  to 
such  prolongation  of  misery,  ending  so  uniformly 
in  death. 

We  weipe  first  conducted  to  the  depository  in 
which  the  infants  are  placed  in  the  night  by  their 
mothers  or  others.  A  bell  beside  it  being  rung, 
communicates  the  information  .to>one  of  the  sisters 
sleeping  within,  who  hastens  to  turn  the  box  and 
receive  the  infant.  Ordinarily  they  are  accompa- 
nied with  a  statement  of  tlie  age,  whether  baptized, 
and  the  name,  which  facts  are  all  entered  into  the 
register,  in  which  a  number  is  assigned  to  each  in- 
fant, corresponding  to  that  which  is  stamped  on  a 
piece  of  lead,  fastened  to  a  string  about"  its  neck. 
Sometimes  the  infant  is  well  clad,  and  furnished 
with  changes  of  apparel ;  but  oftener  they  are  left 
in  a  condition  better  -suited  to  what  one  might  ex- 
pect, from  those  whowould  be  likely  to  abandon 
their  children,  and,  not  unfrequently,  a  simple  rag 
of  cotton  constitutes  their  only  attire.  Frequently, 
in  hurrying  away  to  escape  detection,  a  mother, 
abandoning  her  child,  ?Vill  neglect  to  pull  the  bell 
to  notify  the  sister  in  attendance,  and  the  infant 
may  remain  thus  until  morning,  or  untilanother  is 
placed  beside  it.  •  In  winter,  they  are  thus  often 
found  frozen,  and,  even  when  only  chilled,  are  sure 
to  perish. 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  345 

In  approaching  the  wards  in  which  the  infants 
were  kept,  we  were  early  notified  of  their  presence, 
by  the  painful  chorus  of  their  cries.     We  found 
them  arranged'  in  rows  of  cradles,  and  dressed  with 
perfect  neatness.     For  the  most  part,  these  were 
wretched,  feeble  creatures,  characterized  by  every 
variety  of  malformation,  having  its  origin  in  the 
vices,  the  diseases,  or  attempts  of  the  mother  to 
conceal    her  guilt.      Here  the  sins  of  the  parent 
were  too  evidently  entailed  upon  the  child.     Vice 
never  seemed  to  nie'so  loathsome  before,  as  when 
thus  contem.plated,  in  the  curses  entailed  on  the 
offspring  of  its  votaries.     We  were  told  that  here 
was  only  a  portion  of  the  infants  received  into  the 
establishment,  many  of  them  being  given  out  to  be 
nursed,  by  poor  people  in  the  city,  or  neighbouring 
villages,  who  receive  three  dollars  a  month  for  their 
services.     This  not  unfrequently  gives  occasion  to 
fraud;   mothers  first  depositing,  and  then  getting 
possession  again  of  their  own  children,  and  being 
paid  for  the  fulfilment  of  their  rrjalernal  obligations. 
Still  there  were  some  hundreds  remaining ;  no  in- 
considerable portion  of  which  were  crying  plain- 
tively together,  in  obedience  to  that  instinct  of  na- 
ture which  teaches  them,  ere  speech  is  imparted, 
to  signify  their  want's  in  a  way  which,'  though  it 
may  constitute  an  eloquent  and  intelligible  appeal 

p  3 


346  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

to  a  mother,  is  most  irritating  and  vexatious  to  all 
others.  Some  fifty  Or  sixty  nurses  nourish  and  at- 
tend on  these,  and  substitute  imperfectly  for  money, 
the  priceless  cares  of  maternal  affection.  I  think  I 
never  saw  a  more  painful  sight,  than  was  presented 
by  the  air  of  indifference  with  which  these  nurses 
moved  ftom  cradle  to  cradle,  seeking  to  pacify  the 
ufthappy  little  suppliants. 

In  passing  to  the  rooms  lin  which  the  older  chil- 
drein  were  employed  in  school,  or  in  various  occu- 
pations— knitting,  sewing,  straw-weaving,  or  em- 
broidery, under  the  direction  ^of  the  sisters  we 
were  greatly  struck  with  the  healthy  and  robust 
appearance  of  the  children ;  though,  when  we 
came  to  reflect  that  only  those  of  the  most  vigor- 
ous conformation  can  possibly  live  through  hard- 
ships and  privations,  under  which  so  large  a  ma- 
.  jority  die,  it  seemed  obvious  that  .the  survivors 
should  be  as  we  found  them.  At  the  sight  of  these 
neat,  .industrio.us,  and  interesting-looking  children, 
I  was  not  a  little  disposed  to  change  my  mind,  as  to 
the  inexpediency  of  aoy  effort  to  rescue  tliem,  which 
the  sight  of  the  calendar  had  suggested  to  me. 
While  we  we're  among  these,  a  little  girl  of  five 
years  was  brought  in  on  a  visit,  by  the  pers6n  who 
had  been  hired  to  take  care  of  her  in  her  infancy, 
aiiid  who  had  conceived  a  warm  attachment  for  her. 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  3,47 

She  was  very  neatly  dressed,  and  it  seemed  that 
she  had  been  taught  various  accomplishments, 
for  she  could  both  sing  and  dance,  and  was  made 
to  exhibit  some  specimens  of  her  art  for  our 
amusement.  I  was  pleased  to  see  such  early  de- 
velopment of  the  genuine  Spanish  grace  in  her 
movements  in  the  fandango.  The  inmates  of  the 
house,  who  knew  none  of  these  things,  and  who 
were  deprived,  moreover,  of  those  opportunities  of 
seeing  the  world  without,  of  which  those  who  are 
carefully  secluded  from  it  are  most  apt  to  form  a 
magnificent  idea,  were  disposed  to  envy  her  supe- 
riorily,  and  were  doubtless  the  less  ready  to  pity 
her^  when,  in  the  midst  of  her  exhibitions,  she 
backed  against  the-  brasier,  and  fell  with  her  hand 
into  the  hot  ashes. 

I  was  affected  by  a  very  melancholy  feeling  in' 
visiting  this  establishment,  and  I  could  not  avoid 
thinking,  as  I  took  leave  of  it,  that  though  un- 
doubtedly conceived  in  the  spirit  of  benevolence, 
its  effect  is  any  thing  but  charitable  or  humane.  It 
consigns  to  mercenary  care  a  tender  plant,  to  whose 
rearing  nothing  can  suffice  save  that  abounding 
affection  existing  in  a  woman's  heart  for  her  own 
offspring,  at  a  season  when  life  is  held  by  the 
slightest  and  most  precarious  tenure,  which  each 
rude  breath  may  dissolve :    it  tends   to  promote 


348  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

laxity  of  morals,  by  providing  a  relief  from  the 
consequences  of  it,  and  to  render  innocent  an  aban- 
donment, for  which  provision  is  thus  publicly  made. 
There  can,  indeed,  be  intrinsically  no  greater  crime 
against  nature  and  society,  than  in  renouncing  the 
duties  which  are  self-imposed  in  becoming  a  pa- 
rent. Such  a  crime,  enormous  in  itself,  becomes 
immeasurably  more  so,  in  a  man  like  Rousseau, 
who  could  philosophize,  and  speculate,  and  refine 
so  dehcately  on  questions  of^this  nature.  The  ex- 
istence of  a  Foundling  Hospital  could  not  deceive 
such  a  mind  as  his,  as  to  the  innocence  of  making 
use  of  it ;  an  act  by  which  he  has  fixed  "a  stigma 
on  his  character,  which  will  remain-  there  for  ever, 
and  all  the  eloquence  and  refinement  of  sentiment 
that  ever  flowed  from  his  pen,  could  never  efface 
his  base  and  xowardly  shrinking  from  the'  obliga- 
tions of  paternity;  his  crime  being  all  the  greater, 
that  it  was  committed  in  spite  of  the  protestations 
of  the  wretched  woman,  thus  frustrated  in  her  ma- 
ternal yearnings,  and  robbed  of  rights  so  painfully 
purchased.  . 

,  In  retracing  our  steps  to  the  Gate  of  the  Sun, 
we  passed  through  a  small  square,  situated  in  the 
barrier  of.  Lavapies,  the  most  wretched  quarter  of 
the  town,  and  which  is  known  by  the  familiar  name 
of  the  Rastro.     This  is  a  sort  of  exchange  ain4 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  349 

place  of  rendezvous  for  the  lowest  and  most  vicious 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Madrid.  Here  the  robbers 
of  the  neighbourhood  expose  for  sale  the  horses 
of  whicTi  they  have  forcibly  become  possessed, 
and  here,  too,  most  of  the  goods  stolen  throughout 
the  town,  are  converted  into  money.  It  happened 
to  be  a  market  or  exchange  day  here,  and  the  scene 
was  a  lively  and  characteristic  one.  The  interior 
of  the  square  was  filled  with  irregular  clusters  of 
rude  sheds,  or  cumbersome  umbrellas,  with  stout 
wooden  frames  surmounting  a  post  planted  in  the 
ground,  and  covered  with  canvass,  while  against 
the  wall  which  enclosed  it,  were  ranges  of  chests 
— ^they  could  not  be  called  houses — in  which  the 
humble  meirchants  who  dealt  here,  slept  and  se- 
cured their  goods  by  night.  The  articles  exposed 
for  sale  under  these  sheds  and  awnings  were  of 
a  miserable  description,  suited  to  the  means  and 
taste  of  the  population;  they  consisted  of  brokeii 
chairs,  three-legged  bedsteads,  earthen  crockery, 
old  locks,  and  rusty  scraps  of  irOo.  Here  a  wo- 
man kept  her  shop  on  a  manta,  without  protection 
of  any  sort  from  the  sun,  her.  stock  consisting  of 
odd-looking  razors  and  murderous  knives,  having 
a  spring  at  the  back  to  keep  them  open,  in  the 
event  of  a  sudden  quarrel  and  duel ;  there  another, 
seated  also   on   the  ground,  alternated   the  cares 

30 


350  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

of  watching  over  various  earthen  pots,  in  which 
she  was  preparing  stews  to  stay  the  stomachs  of 
the  hungry,  with  those  of  arranging  the  blowzy 
hair  of  one  or  two  reluctant  children.  The  con- 
versation of  the  company  here  assembled  was 
quite  suited  to  the  place,  being  plentifully  inter- 
spersed with  imprecations  and  obscene  words ; 
while,  to  attest  the  disorder  of  which  the  Rastro 
was  not  unfrequently  the  scene,  at  the  upper  side 
of  the  square,  which  stood  upon  the  slope  of  a  hill, 
a  picket  guard  might  be  seen,  having  its  lodgment 
in  a  rude  and  ruinous  hovel,  with  a  sentinel  walking 
his  post  beside  a  stack  of  muskets,  and  overlooking 
the  whole  square,  while  his  comrades  were  planted 
on  the  ground  at  the  sunny  side  of  the  guard-house, 
grouped  in  a  circle,  and,  apparently,  from  their  ex- 
cited movements,  engaged  in  a  game  of  cards. 
This  precaution  was  particularly  necessary  at  this 
moment ;  for  the  .wretched  inhabitants  of  the  bar- 
rier, being  all  royalists,  were  irritable,  aad^prone  to 
revolt.  They  occasionally  amused  themselves  on 
feast-days,  by  beating  all  the  well-dressed  people 
who  passed  that  way,  under  the  impression,  that, 
being  better  clad  than  themselves,  they  must  be  of 
a  different  way  of  thinking,  in  politics  ;  Avhile  their 
nightly  amusement  during  the  carnival,  was  to  stop 
the  maskers  in  the  street,  and  strip  them  of  their 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  351 

tinsel  finery,  an  amusement  not  wholly  vain  and 
unprofitable,  at  a  season  when  masks  were  at  a 
premium.  Scarcely  a  week  after  my  visit  to  this 
place,  it  was  the  scene  of  a  regular  insurrection, 
and  a  number  of  the  populace  were  shot  or  bay- 
oneted, within  the  boundaries  of  the  Rastro. 

In  passing  through  the  square  in  front  of  the 
Prison  of  the  Court,  I  was  attracted  by  a  collec- 
tion of  people  surrounding  some  object,  which  I 
truly  conjectured  to  be  a  dead  body,  this  place  an- 
swering the  same  purpose  as  the  Morgue  at  Paris, 
where  bodies  found  in  the  river  or  elsewhere  are 
exposed,  for  the  purpose  of  being  reclaimed  for 
burial  by  their  relatives.     There  were  here,  indeed, 
two  dead  persons,  and  both  of  them  women.     One 
was  quite  old,  and  death  seemed  not  to  have  stolen 
•  prematurely  or  unnaturally  on  his  prey.     Her  end, 
however,  had  evidently  been  miserable,  solitary, 
and  unconsoled.   She  had  been  dead  some  time,  and 
decomposition  would  long  since  have  endued  in  any 
other  climate  than  this ;  apparently,  she  had  been 
discovered  in  some  stable,  or  on  some  dungheap, 
for  her  hair  and  clothes  tvere  covered  with  straw 
and  Titter.     The  other  person  was  of  a  very  differ- 
ent appearance.    She  had  been  cut  off  in  the  flower 
of  her  youth,  and  in  the  full  bloom  of  health,  by 
a  violent  death,  of  which  her  dress  bore  the  traces. 


352  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

She  was  gayly  attired  in  the  Manola  fashion ;  her 
features  were  regular,  and  her  figure,  though  laid 
upon  a  board,  and  stiffened  in  death,  was  still  evi- 
dently beautiful.  Her  shoes  were  gone,  but  her 
stockings  evinced  the  characteristib  attention  of  her 
countrywomen  to  this  part  of  their  dress ;  they 
covered  very  beautiful  feet,  the  left  being  stained 
with  blood,  which  seemed,  erre  she' had  fallen,  to 
have  run  down  from  a  knife  wound  in  her  left  side 
above  the  girdle,  whence  it  had  also  flowed  plenti- 
fully over  her  person.  Her  features,  though  reg- 
ular, were  distorted  by  a  blended  expression  of 
agony  and  rage,  and  her  left  hand  convulsively- 
grasped  her  hair,  in  which  it  was  entangled.  No 
friendly  hand  had  been  nigh  to  close  the  eyes  of 
these  unfortunate  beings,  which  glared  forth  with 
glassy  and  fixed  gaze.  I  was  bewildered  by  the 
singular  expression  of  their  countenances,  for  death 
had  never  presented  itself  to  me  before  in  this  as- 
pect "of  terror.  On  the  breast  of  each  was  a  tin 
plate,"  intended  to  receive  the  alms  of  those  who 
passed,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  burial,  in  the 
event  of  the  bodies  not  being  reclaimed,  and  to 
assist,  at  any  rate,  in  this  pious  office  ;  we  con- 
tributed our  mite,  and  passed  on,  -making  such 
remarks  as  occurred  to  us,,  on  the  lawless  condi- 
tion of  the  country.  .  '    . 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  353 

Perhaps  I  may  close  appropriately  this  narration 
of  crime,  by  a  word  or  two  in  illustration  of  its  occa- 
sional consequences,  and  by  showing  how,  even  in 
Spain,  it  is  sometimes  overtaken  by  a  just  retribu- 
tion.    I  had  gone  one  morning,  in  the  early  days 
of  Lent,  to  my  balcony,  to  breathe  the  fresh  air, 
enjoy  tke  genial  heat  of  the  sun,  and  divert  myself 
with  the  ever-gay  spectacle  in  the  Puerta  del  Sol, 
when  my  attention  was  excited  by  the  tinkling  bell 
of  a  member  of  the   Paz  y   Caridad,  who,  in  a 
solemn  voice,  was  inviting  all  charitable  souls  to 
join  in  interposing,  with  such  hmnble  alms  as  thfey 
were  pleased  to  contribute,  to  smooth  the  parting 
hour,  and   redeem  from   purgatory,  by  means  of 
masses,  the  soul  of  the  unhappy  brother,  whose 
life  was  that  day  to  be  required  of  him.     He  had 
before  him  a  square  box,  having  a  hole  to  receive 
the  alms  of  the  charitable,  surmounted  by  a  figure 
of  the   crucified    Saviour,   calculated   at  once   to 
awaken  a  devotional  feeling  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Christian,  and  to  call  to  mind  the  recollection,  that 
He,  Uke  the  unhappy  criminal-  who  was  that  day 
to  expiate   his   offences,  had  died — though   inno- 
cently, and   for  our  propitiation — the   death  of,  a 
felon. 

There  was,  then,  to  be  an  execution.     It.  was 
sure  to  be  a  spectacle  full  of  horror  arid  painful  ex- 

30* 


354  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

citement,  still  I  determined  to  witness  it.  I  felt 
sad  and  melancholy,  and  yet,  by  a  strange  perver- 
sion, I  was  willing  to  feel  more  so.  With  the 
customary  chocolate,  Doiia  Lucretia,  my  land- 
lady, brought  me  the  Diario.  I  turned  at  once 
to  see  what  was  said  about  the  execution.  Among 
the  orders  of  the  day  was  the  following  : — "  Hav- 
.  ing  to  suffer  this  day,  at  eleven  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  the  square  of  Gebada,  the  pain  of  death  on 
the  vile  garrotte,  to  which  he  was  sentenced  by  the 
military  commission  of  this  province,  Juan  Lopez 
Solorzano,  alias  the  Bird-catcher,  a  native  of  Las 
Altas  Torres,  in  La  Mancha,  thirty-eight  years  of 
age,  a  bachelor,  late  a  grenadier  of  the  disbanded 
royalist  volunteers  of  this  capital,  accused  of  hav- 
ing been  one  of  the  first  aggressors  in  the  rebellion 
of  October  last,  on  the  occasion  of  disarming  that 
corps :  to  aid  in  the  execution,  a  detachment  of 
the  provincial  regiment  of  Granada,'  and  another  of 
the  cuirassiers  of  the  Royal  Guard,  will  repair  to 
the  place  of  execution  at  half  past  ten,  while,  at  the 
same  hour,  another  detachment  of  the  aforesaid  re- 
giment of  Granada,  and  of  the  light-horse  of  Madrid, 
will  report  to  the  Corregidor  at  the  prison,  in  readi- 
ness to  guard  the  prisoner  to  the  scaffold,  leaving 
a  corporal's  guard  to  protect  the  body  after  justice 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  355 

is  consummated,  until  the  Paz  y  Caridad  shall 
come  to  withdraw  it." 

Such  was  the  succinct  and  sententious  informa- 
tion given  me  by  the  Diario.     I  learned,  in  addi- 
tion, from  Doiia   Lucretia,  that  the  Pajarero,  or 
Bird-catcher,  was  so  called,  because  he  had  for 
some   years  lived  by  selhng  doves  and  singing- 
birds  in  the  Square  of  the  Holy  Cross.     He  had 
been  a  .turbulent,  quarrelsome  fellow,  had  killed 
a  number  of  persons  at  various  times,  for  all  which 
'  misdeeds  he  had  found  protection  in  being  a  roy- 
alist volunteer,  and  a  regular  attendant  at  mass  and 
the  confessional.     In  the,  late  disbanding  of  the 
royalist  volunteers,  those  janizaries  of  the  Spanish 
hierarchy,  he  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  revolt, 
killing,  with  his  own  hand,  one  of  the  partisans  of 
the  Queen,  in  the  Square  of  the  Ange).     During 
fifty-three  days,  he  had  been  concealed  by  persons 
friendly  to  the  old  order  of  things,  but  had  at  last 
been  sold  by  some  mercenary  friend,  and  betrayed 
into  the  hands  of  justice.     It  chanced  that  I  had 
attended  the  court-martial  on  the  day  of  his  trial, 
and  I  wa«  not  a  little  struck  with  the  peculiar  vein 
of  eloquence  in  which  the  fiscal  devoted  him  to 
damnation,  ere  yet  he  had  been  produced  before 
the  court.     "  Soon  will  this  vile  assassin  present 
himself  before  you.     The  tribunal  will  tlien  see 


356  SPAIN    RKVISITED. 

his  detestable  soul  painted  in  his  countenance,  and 
will  need  no  other  evidence  to  discover  the  atro- 
cious image  of  a  regicide."  Such,  alike  under 
despotism  and  in  the  hands  of  liberals,  is  the  vin- 
dictive character  of  Spanish  justice.  Perhaps, 
however,  it  may  be  just  to  add,  that  of  seventy- 
three  royalists  condemned  to  death  for  a  revolt, 
with. the  alleged  intention  of  murdering  the  Queen, 
the  Bird-catcher  was  alone  selected  as  the  most 
infamous  for  execution.  The  rest  were  taken  from 
prison  in  the  dead  of  the  succeeding  night,  and, 
being  manacled,  were  marched  off  under  a  strong 
escort  for  Ceuta.  One  of  them,  in  an  access  of 
despair,  dashed  his  brains  out  against  the  postern 
of  the  prison.  The  scene  in  the  neighbourhood  vvas 
represented  to  me  as  having  been  most  deplorable 
on  the  following  morning.  The  news  of  the  de- 
parture of  these  prisoners  had  spread  to  the  ob- 
scure barriers  of  the  capital,  and  their  families  had 
gathered  round  in  an  agony  of  bereavement.  Mo- 
thers, wives,  artd  lovers,  tore  their  hair  and  rent 
the  air  with  shrieks  and  exclamations  of  wo  ;  while 
the  children,  thus  suddenly  left  fatherless,  looked 
On  with  a  dumb  amazement — an  indistinct  sense 
of  some  great  calamity — scarcely  less  painful  and 
heart-rending.  There  were  fifty  wives  who  found 
themselves  thus  suddenly  reduced  to  hopeless  wid 


SPAIN  REVISITED,  357 

owhood,  while  more  than  twice  that  number  of 
children  looked  round,  and  saw  that  they  were 
fatherless. 

Divesting  the  mind  of  all  fanaticism,  whether  in 
favour  of  liberty  or  despotism,  the  offences  of  these 
men  will  not  seem  so  equal  to  their  fate,  as  to  close 
the  heart  against  every  sentiment  of  pity.  They 
were  victims  of  their  fidehty4o  an  order  of  things, 
which,  but  a  few  months  before,  received  the  adhe- 
sion of  the  King,  the  court,  the  army^was  acqui- 
esced in  by  the  whole  nation,  and  still  had  the 
sympathy  of  a  vast  majority  of  the  Spanish  people. 
Oh,  Americans !  while  you  pity  the  land  in  which 
liberty  is  unknown  and  unappreciated,  learn  to 
value  the  blessings  which  you  enjoy,  and  cultivate 
an  ever-increasing  admiration  and  love  for  that 
birthright  of  freedom  which  has  been  bequeathed 
to  you.  ■  * 

I  took  my  way,  through  the  Gate  of  the  Sun,  to 
the  noble  front  of  the  Prison  of  the  Court,  in  which 
the  Pajarero  was  pointed  out  to  me,  when  I  visited 
it,  as  the  greatest  curiosity  of  the  place.  My  read- 
ers may  not  be  aware,  that,  among  the  common  peo- 
ple of  Spain,  villanous  distinction  of  any  sort,  as  that 
of  a  footpad  or  murderer,  always  entitles  the  pos- 
sessor to  a  species  of  nick-name ;  thus.  El  Gato,  or 
Cat,  was  the  formidable  and  dreaded  appellation  of 


358  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

a  Valencian  robber,  who  flourished  a  few  years 
since,  enacting  a  fearful  tragedy  in  my  presence, 
and  who  was  noted  for  the  liger-Uke  and  ferocious 
certainty  with  which  he  was  wont  to  pounce  upon 
his  prey.  El  Cacaruco  was  the  droll  cognomen 
of  a  scarcely  less  distinguished  worthy,  by  whom 
I  had  once  been  most  courteously  plundered  in  the 
plains  of  La  Mancha;  while  the  famous  Jose 
Maria  was  graced  with  the  more  compUmentary 
title — a  tribute  at  once  to  his  power  -and  his  mag- 
nanimity—of el  Senor  del  Campo.    ■ 

The  Pajarero  was  a  name  of  inferior  note.  When 
his  crimes  wei:e  recounted  to  me,  I  felt  little  incli- 
nation to  pity  him.  Whatever  sympathy  I"  had  at 
fny  command,  had  already  been  bestowed  upon  the 
more  pitiable  objects  which  met  my  sight  in  that 
mansion  of  despair.  '  There  seemed,  moreover,  a 
sort  of  poetical  justice  in  the  shutting  up  of  an 
individual,  who,  while  he  had  been  a  monster  to 
his  fellow-men,  had  passed  his  life  in  making 
war  against  those  winged  inhabitants  of  the  air — 
those  happy  pensioners  of  nature — whose  capacities 
barely  fit  them  to  enjoy  liberty,  and  to  languish  and 
pine  away  when  deprived  of  it.  He  was,  besides, 
a  most  ill-favoured  and  ferocious-looking  man,  and 
the  fiscal  would  doubtless  have  been  borne  out 
by  Lavater,  in  his  .assertion,  that  it  was  easy  to 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  359 

see   "his  detestable  soul  painted   in  his  counte- 


nance." 


The  prison  was  already  surrounded  by  a  dense 
crowd.  The  escort,  which  was  to  conduct  the 
prisoner  to  the  place  of  execution,  was  at  its  post, 
and  squadrons  of  cavalry  patrolled  the  streets  lead- 
ing to  it,  keeping  the  way  open,  and  beating  back 
the  crowd  with  their  sabres,  and  trampling  upon 
them  with  the  armed  hoofs  of  their  horses,  much 
in  the  same  manner  as  if  the  government  had  still 
been  that  of  the  Absolute  King,  and  the  felon  a 
false-hearted  hberal.  It  was  expected,  and  cur- 
rently reported,  that  there  was  to  be  a  popular  tu- 
mult among  the  serviles,  and  an  attempt,  by  the 
disbanded  volunteers,  to  rescue  their  heroic  com- 
rade. The  government,  unwilling  to  betray  any 
weakness,  did  not,  however,  increase  the  detach- 
ment of  troops  on  immediate  duty  beyond  what 
v^as  usual,  yet  preparations  were  secretly  made, 
to  pour  forth  an  overwhelming  military  force.  The 
troops  at  the  garrison  were  ready  to  march  at  a 
moment's  warning,  and  individual  cavaliers  of  the 
body-guard,  in  their  gay  uniforms  and  antique 
casques,  were  seen  at  each  instant,  spurring  away 
on  their  fleet  barbs,  of  the  caste  of  Aranjuez,  to 
carry  to  the  palace  the  anxiously  expected  intima- 
tion, that  all  was  still  well. .  . 


360  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

I  did  not  look  with  any  particular  complacency 
upon  these  military  youths,  notwithstanding  their 
gay  uniforms  and  handsome  persons.  To  be  sure, 
I  had  once  claimed  as  an  intimate  and  valued 
friend,  a  noble  young  Andalusian — noble,  not  less 
in  the  teal,  than  in  the  accepted  sense — who  be-, 
longed  to  this  corps.  In  general,  however,  they 
are  held  in  little  estimation,  and  never  in  less  than 
at  that  moment ;  for,  but  a  few  days  before,  one 
of  them  was  detected,  by  the  waiter  of  a  restaurant, 
in  the  act  of  concealing  two  silver  forks  in  the  ca- 
pacious receptacle  of  his  trooper's  boots,  which, 
however  constructed  with  other  motives,  were  not 
ill  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  quiet  and  unobserved 
abstraction.  After  all,  there  was  nothing  so  strange 
in  this,  when  one  looked  at  the  short  distance  from 
the  top  of  the  yawning  boot  to  the  tempting  cover, 
a  few  inches  distant  on  the  edge  of  the  table ;  re- 
flecting, at  the  same  time,  that  the  youth  liad  to 
support  all  the  dignity  of  a  nobility,  unsullied  on 
four  sides  by  any  mingling  of  base  blood,  upon  the 
paltry  stipend  of  twenty  dollars  a  month.  "  Viven 
hs  chocolateros  /"  cried  the  crowd,  as  they  spurred 
along,  that  being  the  vulgar  cognomen  applied  to 
them,  because  chocolate  is  the  only  refreshment 
served  to  them  from  the  royal  kitchen  when  on 
duty  at  the  palace. 


SPAIN   REVISITED.  361 

At  length  the  prisoner  was  brought  forth.  He 
was  dressed  in  a  penitential  robe  of  yellow ;  on  his 
head  was  a  cap  of  the  same  colour,  faced  by  a 
white  cross.  His  face  was  pale,  less  apparently 
from  fear  than  long  confinement,  for  his  frame  was 
not  convulsed,  and  his  hands  trembled  not,  as  he 
held  before  him  a  paper,  from  which  he  chanted 
a  prayer,  uttered  with  an  earnestness  proportioned 
to  the  little  time  that  remained  to  him  to  make  his 
peace  with  heaven,  and  the  conviction  that  he  was 
about  to  enter  on  an  eternity  of  bliss  or  misery,  the 
common  belief  of  a  land  in  which,  though  there  may 
be  much  crime,  there  is  as  yet  but  httle  infidelity. 
A  dark  beard,  which  was  of  many  days'  growth, 
augmented  the  ghastliness  of  his  expression. 

At  his  side  was  a  friar  of  the  order  of  Mercy,  in 
a  white  habit,  and  a  shaven  crown,  who  held  be- 
fore the  unhappy  man  a  crucifix,  bearing  an  image 
of  the  Saviour,  through  whose  intercession  he 
might  yet,  by  repentance,  be  saved.  With  one 
arm  the  holy  man  embraced  the  prisoner,  whisper- 
ing in  his  ear  words  of  consolation  and  comfort, 
and  accompanying  him  as  he  faltered  in  his 
prayers.  He  was  seated  on  a  white  ass,  his  legs 
bound  below ;  and  the  patient  unconsciousness  of 
the  docile  animal  of  the  errand  on  which  it  was 
going,  contrasted  singularly  with  the  interest  and 

VOL.  I. Q  31 


362  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

irresistible  sympathy  which  all  there  felt  in  the 
fate  of  a  fellow-man  about  to  enter  on  the  unknown 
regions  of  eternity 

The  brotherhood  of  Peace  and  Charity,  each 
member  bearing  a  torch,  gathered  closely  around 
the  victim,  whom,  from  a  sentiment  of  humanity, 
and  in  fulfilment  of  their  solemn  vow,  they  had 
comforted  with  their  society^  and  aided  with  their 
prayers  ;  for  his  sake  they  had  become  mendicants 
through  the  public  streets,  collecting  sufficient  alms 
from  the  charitable  to  supply  with  comfort  and 
decency  the  last  wants  of  nature  ;  and,_  when  jus- 
tice should  have  wreaked  its  necessary  vengeance 
on  his  body,  they  were  to  withdraw  it  from  its 
place  of  ignominious  exposure,  consign  it  with 
careful  decency  to  the  tomb,  and  offer  prayers  and 
masses  for  the  soul  which  had  taken  its  flight. 

So  soon  as  all  had  reached  the  street,  the  sol- 
diers gathered  round,  their  serried  bayonets  seem- 
ing to  shut  out  all  hope  of  rescue  ;  and  the  muffled 
drum  beating  a  monotonous  and  mournful  measure, 
the  procession  set  forward  to  the  scene  of  death. 
The  singular  combination  of  this  group — the  crim- 
inal, the  ass,  the  cowled  friar  in  his  white  robe,  the 
torch-bearing  brothers  of  the  Paz  y  Caridad,  the 
stern  and  mustached  warriors  who  guarded  the 
law's  victim,  offered  to  the  eye  a  singular  specta- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  363 

de,  while  the  chanting  of  the  criminal,  and  of  the 
compassionating  spirits  who  joined  in  his  prayers, 
mingling  strangely  with  the  hoarse  drum  and  the 
measured  tramp  of  the  soldiers,  bringing  nearer,  at 
every  footfall,  the  moment  of  the  catastrophe — all 
tended  to  impress  the  beholder  with  a  gloomy  and 
terrible  interest. 

It  was  expected,  that  if  there  should  be  any 
attempt  at  rescue,  it  would  take  place  in  the  street 
of  Toledo,  before  the  portal  of  the  Jesuits'  Church 
of  San  Isidro.  Not  many  weeks  later,  indeed,  an 
insurrection  did  occur  there.  The  population  of 
the  adjoining  quarter  broke  forth  into  mutiny  and 
rebellion ;  liberals  and  royalists  joined  in  deadly 
conflict,  churchmen  and  friars  were  immolated  in 
the  streets,  and  the  pavement  was  strewed  with 
corpses,  and  crimsoned  with  Spanish  blood,  shed 
by  the  hands  of  Spaniards.  But  the  spirit  of  re- 
bellion, so  lately  repressed,  was  not  yet  ripe  for  a 
new  explosion.  San  Isidro  was  passed  without 
commotion  of  any  sort,  and  the  procession  at  length 
reached  the  Plaza.  The  ordinary  avocations,  of 
which  it  is  the  daily  scene,  had  ceased.  It  was 
filled  with  a  crowd  of  curious  spectators.  Cloaked 
men,  and  women  in  mantillas,  as  if  arrayed  for 
mass,  occupied  the  whole  square,  while  the  sheds 
and  the  gratings  of  the  surrounding  windows  were 

q2 


364  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

covered  with  clambering  and  ambitious  urchins, 
each  anxious  to  contemplate,  from  the  highest  ele- 
vation, the  scene  which  so  great  a  crowd  had  col- 
lected to  behold.  The  balconies  were  filled  with 
well-dressed  people,  and,  from  not  a  few,  beauty — 
hardened  to  painful  spectacles  by  the  tortures  of 
the  arena — was  seen  to  gaze  with  curious  earnest- 
ness. - 

At  one  of  the  balconies  I  noticed  the  towering 
and  military  figure  of  the  brave  colonel  of  the  Mad- 
rid hght  horse,  to  whom  I  had  the  honour  of  being 
known,  I  entered  the  house,  and,  presenting  my- 
self at  the  door  of  the  no  less  doughty  countryman 
of  the  doughty  Dugald  Dalgetty,  was  received 
most  cordially,  and  welcomed  to  a  station  in  his 
balcony.  I  was  at  once  absorbed  by  the  painful 
interest  which  attracted  my  attention  to  the  person 
of  the  culprit.  The  colonel,  on  the  contrary, 
was  filled  with  delight  at  the  spirited  manner  in 
which  his  horsemen  kept  the  way  open;  beating 
back  the  more  pressing  intruders  by  frequent  and 
forceful  blows  with  the  flat  of  their  long  Toledo 
sabres,  and  reining  their  steeds  most  unceremoni- 
ously backward  upon  them.  The  colonel  was  a 
fierce  liberal.  He  was  delighted  with  the  way  in 
which  his  brave  fellows  routed  the  rabble  mob, 
and,  being  armed  from  cap  to  rowel,  would  doubt- 


SPAIN  REVISITED.  '  365 

less  have  been  delighted  to  have  an  opportunity, 
as,  indeed,  he  soon  afterward  had,  of  heading  his 
squadron,  which  was  drawn  up  in  readiness  in  the 
neighbouring  barrack,  and  riding  down  all  oppo- 
sition. 

The  instrument  of  execution  was  different  from 
what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  see  in  Spain.  It 
was  the  garrote,  which  the  liberals,  actuated  by 
the  spirit  of  improvement,  exercising  itself  first, 
as  in  revolutionary  France,  in  a  more  ingenious 
method  of  putting  people  to  death,  had  substituted 
for  the  gallows.  The  form  of  it  was  very  simple. 
A  single  upright  post  was  planted  in  the  ground, 
having  attached  to  it  an  iron  collar,  large  enough 
to  receive  the  neck  of  the  culprit,  but  capable  of 
being  suddenly  tightened  to  much  smaller  dimen- 
sions, by  means  of  a  screw,  which  played  against 
the  back  of  the  post,  and  had  a  very  open  spiral 
thread.  A  short  elbow  projected  at  right  angles 
from  the  upright  post,  for  the  criminal  to  sit  on,  the 
screw  being  attached  to  the  post  at  a  distance 
above,  suited  to  the  height  of  his  body. 

When  the  procession  had  arrived  at  the  foot  of 
the  gallows,  the  Bird-catcher  was  unbound  and  re- 
moved from  the  ass,  and  seated  upon  the  projecting 
elbow  of  the  garrote,  which  looked  towards  the 
east.     His  legs  were  again  securely  bound  to  the 

31* 


366  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

post  on  which  he  was  seated,  and  his  arms  and 
body  to  the  upright  timber  at  his  back.  Here  he 
made  his  last  confession  at  the  foot  of  the  scaffold. 
The  friar  chanted  the  prayers  which  the  church 
has  set  apart  for  the  closing  scene  of  life's  latest 
hour.  The  criminal  repealed  his  responses  fer- 
vently and  audibly.  He  was  now  convinced  that 
there  was  to  be  no  reprieve  and  no  rescue.  Each 
moment  was  more  precious  to  the  salvation  of  his 
soul  than  worlds  of  treasure.  He  remembered 
that  the  penitent  thief  had  been  forgiven  at  his 
latest  hour — Why  might  he  not  hope,  being  also 
penitent,  to  claim  that  precious  promise — "  To-day 
shalt  lh6u  be  with  me  in  Paradise  ?" 

The  friar  whispered  words  of  consolation.  He 
pronounced  the  promise  of  absolution,  and  covering 
the  unhappy  man  with  the  folds  of  his  ample  robe, 
thereby  signified  that  he  was  a  pardoned,  because  a 
repentant  sinner,  and,  as  such,  admitted  into  the 
bosom  of  the  church.  The  scene  at  this  moment 
was  one  of  awful  interest.  The  eyes  of  that  vastv 
crowd,  filHng  the  square,  and  clustering  on  gratings, 
balconies,  and  housetops,  were  fixed,  with  intensely 
excited  gaze,  on  the  one  object  of  attention.  The 
battalion  of  infantry  formed  an  impenetrable  pha- 
lanx around  the  scafTold.  Behind  it,  mounted  on 
powerful  coal-black  horses,  a  squadron  of  cuiras- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  367 

siers,  with  drawn  sabres,  and  clad  in  panoply  of 
steel,  were  drawn  up,  ready  for  instant  action,  yet 
as  motionless  as  death.  The  glorious  sun  of  a 
Castilian  heaven,  shining  through  an  atmosphere 
yet  more  brilliant  and  unclouded  than  our  own, 
was  sent  back  in  bright  reflection  from  cuirases, 
emblazoned  with  its  own  gorgeous  image,  glanc- 
ing from  antique  casques,  and  flickering  round  the 
points  of  sabres  and  bayonets. 

Still,  for  a  moment,  the  man  of  God  covered, 
with  his  garb  of  sanctity,  the  figure  of  the  criminal. 
And  now  it  is  withdrawn,-  and  the  executioner,  with 
dexterous  art,  quickly  and  stealthily  adjusts  the 
iron  collar  to  the  neck  of  his  victim.  A  hand  is 
on  either  end  of  the  powerful  lever  which  works 
the  tightening  screw.  Life  has  reached  its  ex- 
tremest  limit,  time  is  dropping  his  last  sand ;  ere 
yet  it  is  quite  fallen,  one  prayer  of  supplication  is 
uttered  for  mercy  in  that  eternity  which  begins. 
Quick  as  lightning  the  motion  is  given  to  the  fatal 
lever ;  a  momentary  convulsion  agitates  his  frame, 
and  horribly  distorts  his  countenance,  and  the  sin- 
ner is  with  his  God.  The  bell  of  the  neighbouring 
church  tolls  a  mournful  requiem  from  the  top  of  its 
tower ;  lips  are  seen  to  move  in  muttered  prayer, 
to  speed  the  parting  soul,  and  ten  thousand  breasts 
are  signed  together,  with  the  cross  of  reconciliation. 


368  SPAIN  REVISITED. 

A  fleet  horseman  darts  away  at  a  gallop,  to  an- 
Jiounce  to  the  alarmed  inmates  of  the  palace  that 
justice  has  not  been  robbed  of  its  victim,  and  that 
its  consummation  is  complete. 

Thus  ignominiously  died  Solorzano,  surnamed  El 
Pajarero.     His  §ins  to  his  fellow-men  upon  earth 
were  expiated  ;  let  us  hope  that  he  may  find  mercy 
:in  heaveii.     Peace  to  his  soul ! 

The  execution  was  over,  the  verdugo  had  with- 
drawn, and  the  crowd  was  preparing  to  disperse,, 
when  a  blind  woman,  leaning  on  her  staff,  seized 
upon  the  interval  of  silence  and  solemnity  that  yel 
prevailed  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  scaffold,  to 
offer  to  put  into  words  the  feeling  of  devotion  that 
influenced  the  crowd,  and  th©  desire  of  those  who 
eompoe>ed  il,  to  offer  up  prayers  for  the-souFs  resS 
of  the  departed  sinner.  "  Devots  and  devotees  T' — 
said  she,  in  a  loud  clear  voice — "  who  will  command 
me  to  repeat  a  solemn  orison  for  the  soul  of  our 
brother,  the  defunct  criminal  ?"  Another  blind  wo- 
man who  had  approached,  with  the  same  motive  of 
saying  prayers  and  gelling  paid  for  them,  now 
made  some  disparaging  remark,  upon  which  the 
other  broke  out  into  abuse,  and  brandished  her  staff 
in  a  way  to  show,  that  though  she  wanted  to  pray, 
she  was  also  ready  to  fight.  .  These  were  both 
members  of  the  Fraternity  of  the  Bliadj  a  recog- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  369 

nised  g7'emio,  or  company,  having  a  royal  charter, 
which  secures  to  them  the  monopoly  of  crying  the 
journals,  lottery-tickets,  or  articles  of  lost  property, 
and  other  similar  functions.  Before  giving  the 
prayer  of  the  victorious  blind  woman,  I  may  as 
well  say  something  of  her  life,  which,  I  had  sub- 
sequent reason  to  see,  was  less  holy  than  her  lan- 
guage. Being  anxious  to  procure  a  copy  of  the 
very  peculiar  formula  which  she  used  on  this  occa- 
sion, I  arranged,  with  my  companion  in  witnessing 
this  spectacle,  a  most  intelligent  young  gentleman, 
connected  with  the  British  mission,  the  means  of 
seeing  her  again ;  and,  accordingly,  having  found 
her  way  to  his  better  known  residence,  she  was 
thence  directed  to  mine ;  and,  one  wet  morning, 
being  one  of  only  two  rainy  days  that  occurred 
during  my  visit  to  Spain,  though  made  at  the  most 
inclement  season  of  the  year,  she  picked  her  way 
up  the  tortuous  stairway  leading  to  my  apartment, 
and  came  upon  me  at  breakfast.  Having  furnished 
her  with  some  food,  Doiia  Lucretia  fell  to  ques- 
tioning her  about  her  history  and  mode  of  life,  and, 
among  other  questions,  asked  her  if  she  were  mar- 
ried, this  being  a  comfort  from  which  blind  people 
are  not  excluded  in  Spain.  She  said  no ;  she  had 
been  some  months  engaged  to  a  blind  tunanle  of 
her  acquaintance,  who,  after  making  great  pi'og- 


370  SPAIN    REVISITED. 

ress  in  winning  her  affectionate  regard,  had  gone 
off  a  few  mornings  before,  and  married  another 
woman  of  their  fraternity.  The  account  she  gave 
of  the  way  in  which  she  lost  her  sight  will  con- 
vey an  idea  of  hopeless,  and  almost  incredible 
barbarity.  She  had,  in  her  early  youth,  an  affec- 
tion of  the  eyes,  which  her  father  undertook  to 
cure  by  thrusting  red  pepper  into  them,  an  ap- 
plication which  was  reasonably  enough  followed 
by  the  total  loss  of  vision. 

But  to  return  to  her  doings  on  this  present  occa- 
sion ;  having  silenced  her  rival,  and  received  a  cu- 
arto  to  encourage  her  to  commence,  she  now  began 
a  prayer,  poetically  arranged,  which  she  delivered 
in  a  measured  cadence,  well  emphasized,  and  dis- 
tinctly pronounced,  pausing  frequently  to  cross  her- 
self. And  first,  she  began  by  calling  on  all  the  by- 
standers to  join  in  the  effort  to  extract  the  unhappy 
soul  of  the  deceased  from  purgatory  which  she  de- 
scribed as  a  place  of  terror,  having,  among  other 
horrible  attributes,  lakes  of  molten  glass,  and  pits  of 
snow,  into  which  the  probationers  were  alternately 
plunged,  according  to  their  guilt  that  others,  in  like 
circumstances,  might  render  them  the  same  aid. 
To  this  end,  she  said  that  alms,  masses,  and  proces- 
sions were  of  avail,  which  they  were  bound  to  con- 
tribute ;  for  all  Christians  are  known  by  their  works, 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  371 

some  having  devotion  to  say  prayers,  others  to 
carry  torches  at  a  funeral.  And  now  she  began  to 
pray  very  fervently,  invoking  all  the  saints,  ascri- 
bing to  each  peculiar  attributes,  until,  as  she  went 
on,  those  who  at  first  seemed  disposed  to  scoff, 
were  converted  into  attentive  listeners,  and  when 
she  stopped,  there  poured  in  from  all  sides  a  plen- 
tiful tribute  of  curalos. 

Thus  encouraged,  when  she  had  taken  breath, 
she  began  a  second  poem,  describing  the  origin  of 
crime  in  the  bad  passions  of  our  nature,  as  well 
as  its  consequences  ;  she  carried  us  to  the  inte- 
rior of  the  prison,  picturing  the  guilty  criminal, 
crouching,  covered  with  chains,  in  the  corner  of 
his  cell ;  then  produced  in  court,  confronted  with 
his  accusers,  and  condemned  to  die  like  a  felon. 
The  chaplain  is  now  introduced,  and  urges  him  to 
confess,  with  the  promise  of  absolution,  if  he  be 
penitent ;  the  confession  is  narrated  in  general 
terms,  showing  a  picture  of  crime  and  murder  but 
too  common  in  the  land,  and,  finally,  the  holy  man 
takes  his  leave,  counselling  the  criminal  to  die  a 
Christian,  if  he  wish  to  live  one  hereafter.  Now 
follows  a  description  of  the  terrible  ceremony  of 
placing  him  in  the  chapel,  hung  with  black,  and 
surrounded  with  every  circumstance  suited  to  strike 
terror,  and  stir  up  repentance  in  his  soul. 


372  SPAIN   REVISITED. 

>  "Yale  haUegado  lahora 

De  meterle  en  la  Capilla 
Qiie  confusion  !  y  que  espanto ! 
Que  dolor  !  y  que  fatiga .'" 

The  visits  and  sad  parting  of  friends  prelude  to 
the  procession,  as  this  does  to  the  execution,  and 
the  soul's  passage  to  the  presence  of  its  Judge. 
"  The  criminal  is  dead,  and  even  for  such  as  he 
God  has  pity,  since  Jesus  Christ  also  died  on  the 
scaffold  for  the  just  and  for  the  unjust ;  yet,  though 
God  be  willing  to  pardon  hina,  some  there  are  who 
may  say  that  the  sinner  is  unworthy.  Scoff  not, 
vain  man  ;  take  heed  to  your  words  ;  for  who  can 
say  that  he  is  safe  ?  and  least  of  all  shall  he  be  par- 
doned who  is  unwilling  to  pardon  others.  Fathers, 
teach  well  your  children,  and  teach  not  only  by 
words,  but  by  example  also,  lest,  through  thy  fault, 
they  be  brought  to  like  shame  and  condemnation. 
Beloved  Redeemer !  benign  Jesus  !  who  died  on 
the  accursed  tree,  have  mercy  on  his  soul !  Mary  ! 
Mother  of  God !  chosen  rose  among  women ! 
intercede  and  save  him !  Michael  and  Gabriel, 
grant  him  repose,  and  Raphael,  joy  in  thy  glorious 
custody !  Philip  and  Bartholomew,  and  St.  Mat- 
thew the  Apostle,  pray  to  Jesus  to  save  him ! 
Thomas  and  Clement,  withdraw  him  from  perdi- 
tion, and  intercede  to  stay  his  torments!  St.  Ste- 
phen and  St.  Francis,  St.  Martin  and  the  three  glo- 


SPAIN    REVISITED.  373 

rious  Kings,  and  ye,  Martha  and  Magdalen,  seek 
the  propitiation  of  his  sins,  and  of  those  who  com- 
mand me  to  pray  for  him.  Souls  of  the  executed, 
that  have  been  pardoned  and  received  into  heaven, 
seek  that  this,  thy  brother's,  may  meet  with  like 
acceptation  !  0  soul !  be  thou  received  of  God,  the 
Father  Eternal,  pardoned  through  the  intercession 
of  his  Divine  Son,  and  crowned  with  glory  by  the 

Holy  Ghost !    Amen  !  and  Amen  !" 

32 


•*i 


'4: 


'^C 


i^' 


375 


Royal  Order  excluding  the  Author  from  Spain. 

El  Exmo  Senor  Gobernador  del  Real  y  Supremo  Con- 
sejo  de  Castilla  en  3  del  actual  dice  al  Exmo  Seiior 
Presidente  Capitan  General  de  esta  real  Audiencia  lo 
que  copio. 

Exmo  Serior.  Con  fecha  de  ayer  me  dice  el  Seiior  Se- 
cretario  del  Despacho  de  Gracia  y  Justicia  lo  siguiente. 
Exmo  Sefior.  El  Senor  Secretario  de  Estado  y  del  Des- 
pacho me  dice  de  orden  de  su  Magestad  con  fecha  2G  del 
mes  anterior  lo  que  sigue.  Exmo  Sefior.  Se  ha  im- 
primido  en  los  Estados  Unidos  una  obra  en  Ingles  titu- 
lada  A  Year  in  Spain  (o  sea  un  afio  en  Espaiia)  por 
un  joven  Anglo  Americano  Teniente  de  la  marina  de 
aquella  Repubhca  llamado  Ridell.  Esta  indigesta  pro- 
duccion  esta  llena  de  falsedades  y  de  groceras  calum- 
nias  contra  el  Rey  N.  S.  y  su  augusta  familia,  y  en  con- 
secuencia  es  la  Soberana  Voluntad  de  S.  M.  que  no 
solo  se  impida  la  introduccion  de  este  Libro  en  el  Reino, 
sino  que  se  niegue  la  entrada  en  el  a  su  autor  si  vol- 
viera  4  presentarse,  como  se  propone  segun  parece  ve- 
rificarlo  con  el  objeto  de  denigrar  a  nuestros  Soberanos 
y  hacer  necia  mofa  de  nuestras  instituciones  y  costum- 
bres.  De  real  orden  lo  traslado  a  V.  E.  para  que  disponga 
lo  conveniente  a  fin  de  que  se  empida,  la  introduccion 
y  circulacion  en  el  Reino  de  la  obra  que  se  cita  y  se 
ejecute  ademas  lo  que  ha  tenido  d  bien  determinar  por 
el  Ministerio  de  Estado,  respecto  d  que  se  niegue  la 
entrada  en  la  Peninsula  al  autor  de  la  indicada  produc- 
cion.      Al  trasladar  a  V.  E.  esta  Soberana  resolucioa 


376 

para  su  mas  ecsacto  y  punctual  cuniplimiento  no  puedo 
menos  de  encargarle  que  en  union  con  ese  Tribunal 
tome  las  mas  activas  y  eficaces  disposiciones  d  fin  de 
que  se  realicen  los  deseos  de  su  Magestad  dandome 
cuenta  de  las  providencias  que  para  su  execucion  se 
acordasen  y  de  cuanto  resulte  en  el  asunto. 

Y  leida  en  el  acuerdo  ordinario  del  dia  16  del  actual 
se  mando  obedecer,  gauardar  y  cumplir  y  que  se  comu- 
nique  a  V.  S.  para  los  fines  que  en  la  preinserta  orden 
se  espresan  y  en  union  del  Exmo  Seiior  Presidente  es 
para  el  Tribunal  del  acreditado  celo  y  amor  de  V.  S.  al 
Rey  N.  S.  que  tomara  cuantas  medidas  esten  a  su  al- 
cance  y  que  nada  le  quedara  que  hacer  en  un  punto  tan 
interesante  y  recomendado  y  que  en  el  caso  de  conse- 
guir  la  aprehension  de  alguno  o  algunos  ejemplares  los 
reraitira  sin  dilacion  al  Real  acuerdo  por  conducto  del 
Seiior  Regente  para  las  providencias  oportunas  en  con- 
formidad  d  lo  prevenido  en  dicha  orden  y  del  recibo 
me  dara  aviso. 

Dios  guarde  a  V.  S.  muchos  afios. 

Por  el  Secretario 
DON  BARTOLOME  SOCIAS  Y  GOMILA. 

GABRIEL  CABANELLAS,  Sulstituto. 

Palma,  20  Agosto,  de  1832. 

Sehor  Gobernador  Militar  y  Politico  de  Menorca. 

END  OF  VOL.  I 


^. 


^  v> 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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